Do you remember the days when all
men were clean-shaven? It was kind of big thing for my dad to grow a
mustache in the 70s. It was really red, and I thought it was unnecessary,
or sometimes I thought that it was like having cup but no saucer from a set of
china. I wasn’t too fussed about it since it was his face, but I was
started wishing men would just stick with the standard bare face that I was
used to.
It was a loopy time for men from
my perspective. I mean really – leisure suits? Dad had one in
powder blue polyester. I liked the way the suit made his eyes blue and at
least he didn’t get his hair done in a permanent. That had to be clearly
the stupidest style I’ve ever seen. I’m all for curls when they happen in
a regular way, but perfect rows of chemically-induced curls isn’t manly, I
don’t care what they said about it at the time.
I was observing men going wild
with a suspicious and mistrustful eye. Dad bought a red motorcycle.
I was happy when he and Mom went away for weekend camping with other
misbehaving adults, but as a child of the 60s I wasn’t all that far from white
gloves at church. It was all well and good for college kids to smoke pot
and go to Grateful Dead concerts and protest wars, but I was in the first generation
of kids to watch so many parents divorce and I didn’t approve – it was
the destabilization of the world as I knew it.
While my parents stayed married,
divorce was going on all around me. My friends’ worlds crumbled, and
nobody knew we were supposed to say stuff like “it’s not your fault”. I
said stupid stuff like “isn’t it better that your mom moved out because now
there’s less yelling?” I don’t suppose I racked up any points for
appropriate sympathy.
I think it’s pretty safe to blame
facial hair for all of it. After all, look at those hippies and all the
chaos they created. It was only a matter of time before parents started
copying the very people they criticized for sloppiness. Women had the
pill and didn’t have to have endless babies. They could get out and
party. If their husbands didn’t want to play, then they could go out
without them. Women could work too, and with their own money, did they
even need a husband?
Then again, the husbands were
thinking that a lot of their wives weren’t any fun to go home to. They
needed male bonding at the bars, and if there were willing females there, so
much the better.
I’m currently older than my dad
ever was in this lifetime. Sometimes that surprises me because how can we
ever get older than a parent? My perspective of Dad is child to adult,
not adult to adult, or even older adult to younger adult. If years create
wisdom, I’m wiser now than he ever got to be, but I don't know if I feel all
that wise.
AND, I'm not smart enough to
figure out why comments are disappearing with Blogger lately. Does anybody know how to fix this? You can write me here if
you've got answers. Thanks!
My first recollection of a beard on someone was Sebastian Cabot as Mr. French in a show called Family Affair. And recently I've become okay with beards on guys as long as they're well maintained and not a neck beard or Duck Dynasty style – those are just nasty. Like your illustrated one!
ReplyDeleteI liked Mr. French. I don't know if he was my first beard sighting or not :)
ReplyDeleteBeards are better than sideburns! My dad grew those for an old fashioned (Victorian) picture of himself to go with the Victorian house he bought. How about mustaches - those can be cool. Fun post (but don't blame the divorces on the hippies...)
ReplyDeleteI'm older than my dad ever was, too. My mom had us all while she was pretty young, and its weird to think how old she looked to me then. Love this post.
ReplyDeleteActually, I grew up with a bearded dad so if anything it was weirder when he got rid of it! ;) Fun post :D
ReplyDeleteI think sideburns would be funnier than beards Terri :) And it is strange when bearded men shave Nancy. At least facial hair gives men a way to express themselves?
ReplyDeleteI think maybe everyone goes through a period when they realize their parents aren't all-knowing and powerful. Passing them in age gives everything a new perspective.
Great b/w illustration! I always loved the fur on the chest instead. Like Tom Selleck. Yum. Ugh. Comments. They are like a double edged sword. I love them. And you want to get as many as possible. But the more you get the more blogs you need to visit. ( I return comments to all of mine) My main problem is followers. I only get a new one every few years. Sniff. I might have an idea about your issue though. I had to start typing in your blog address. Now my browser remembers you. But when I click on your comment there is no link to your blog anymore. Only an email.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sharon. Your comment gave me an idea towards fixing my comment problem. I hope it works. As for visiting and comments, I love seeing what other people are doing, and I return visits too. I just wish I had more time to do it. It's been a long time since I've gotten new followers too. Maybe everyone feels like it's too much of a commitment?
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely piece! I love how you've worked with negative space (the beard being left white to juxtapose the highly shaded face). It's a really strong composition! X Jane
ReplyDeleteThanks Jane!
DeleteHaha, I know just what you mean about that inbetween stage and a tender cheek! I admit to liking a goatee, though it depends on the guy. And though my dad had several different beards, and often none, he also went through a toupee period. Of many years. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteTerrific drawing - really cool combination of styles. Sometimes it's neat to see older stuff. :)
LOL at least my dad didn't scar me with a toupee period!
DeleteThe last time I had a beard was about 13 years ago. I was around 40 and my beard had come in all gray. A co-worker guessed my age at 65. I shaved when I got home and haven't had a beard since.
ReplyDeleteOne more reason I should be glad I don't have a beard!
DeleteBeards feel amazing when you have one :) Very natural, like the hair on your head. And they are good in a forensic architectural way, because you can do a cross section through them and list the various meals you had since your last shave... :0 hope you are well Linda Interestingly enough I shave by feel now, I do a better job than when I look at what I'm doing. Hopefully I wont wake up with someone elses face one day - that would mean I'd have to learn hw to do it all over again...
ReplyDeleteOddly enough, I watched a tv show recently where they did figure out what a long-dead guy ate by testing his hair. Where have you been Andrew? I miss story time!
ReplyDelete