Monday, November 22, 2010

Bearding the Shave

My beard had been growing for about 3 months, unregulated and unfettered. Unfortunately, it looked like crap: not full, wiry, untamed, more like regular thin hair and less like thick beard hair. I looked like this for my sister-in-law's wedding, missed the Nutcracker for it, and generally alienated some people. But it was fun.

Last night, my sister intimated that I ought to trim it before our upcoming family pictures. During this last week I had been contemplating my beard because I knew it didn't look how I would like. Since my sister wanted me to I decided to try and trim it. I used our hair clippers and started my shortening the mustache. That didn't look good. Then I tried trimming the neck. It looked a little better but because of the thin hair it didn't fit. Then I tried trimming some more and couldn't get it even. Finally I knew that this wasn't working and shaved it all off. I have also been letting my hair grow without cutting it and now that looked weird so I shaved all that off.

"He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man" -Much Ado About Nothing, Act II, Scene 1

At the risk of sounding overly sentimental about a seemingly meaningless superficial aspect of my face, when I look at myself in the mirror I feel like a complete and total wuss. It's like I'm just another baby-faced conformist who rejects the natural way God has combined my DNA to fit our society's trivial, base standards. I feel like my defiance and rebelliousness, my questioning and critical mind, my individuality and creativity, my whole value system (anarchism, anti-war pacifism, free-economy community-driven cooperation), my "inner beard" so to speak, was also shaved off. It's as though a despotic, tyrannical regime suppressed, quieted, quelled and finally crushed my protest against what I see as evil and ignorance. I've felt dejected and depressed ever since.

Thankfully it will grow back and hopefully both my internal and external beards will fill in a little more. Just go easy on me for the next few weeks until it's back.

7 comments:

Circe said...

I can still see your "inner beard," and you never have to worry about it being scraggly or thin! It's alive and well! :) Who CARES what we look like on the outside?! Example: my neighbor had the thinnest, most pathetic ponytail forever. It was like he was afraid of letting go of his youth, even though he had 5 kids. Wuss! When he cut it, he gained a lot of confidence. And he still has his "inner ponytail." Ha ha!

Kelsey said...

So...you'll need a beard for the rest of your life in order to be content?

Kelsey said...

By the way, isn't this obsession with your beard living your life according to what society thinks? Because you care WAY more about your image than I do about mine...isn't that what you're trying to avoid?

Anonymous said...

We love you Chris and are so happy you shaved your beard and head. If you want to be a Radical we think that is actually sort of cute and we support you if it makes you happy. Just realize though that genetically some people just aren't supposed to grow beards and you unfortunately fall into that category. We love your inner beard but the real beard was desperate and lacking. You look so handsome clean shaven. Love you.

mere/tay(xoxo) said...

nonconformists conform to nonconformity.
your post made me lol.
:)

Taylor said...

what are you feelings on circumcision?

C and MC said...

Circumcision is a pretty barbaric ritual and I wish I would have researched it before we allowed it to happen to our son. If we have any more boys they can decide when they're older if they want to go through that process on their own.