An expert from the University of Chicago once did an experiment. He showed the students a photo of a bearded old man standing with a white-faced young man. Some students say that two people are father and son, while others say that they are the manager and his subordinates. When the expert showed another photo to the students, they immediately rushed to say: the bearded elderly and the short bearded people are professors, and they are discussing academic issues. In fact, the man with a short beard in the second photo is the young man in the first photo. This shows that people often regard the beard as an important basis for identifying a person.
The majesty and trouble of beard
In ancient Sumar, almost all men were bearded men; Babylonian man, with a sharp knife-like beard from his ears down; Asiri Arabs, on the other hand, like to grow long beards. In ancient Egypt, the beard was regarded as a symbol of power and majesty, so only the king could grow a square beard, and ordinary subjects could only shave their beards, otherwise they would be guilty of deceiving the king. The beard of the Persian king was sprinkled with gold powder and even woven with gold thread, which was as sacred as a crown.
in the era of tsar Peter the great, it was forbidden for nobles to grow beards, and it was stipulated that men with beards had to pay taxes when they passed through the city gate. Many noble men would rather pay taxes on their beards than go out with a clean shave.
In some places in ancient times, people valued beards more than life. For example, in ancient Greece, forcing a man to shave off his beard was the biggest insult to him; In ancient Arabia, if the emissary of a country was shaved off and insulted, it would lead to discord and even war between the two countries.
Beard is a kind of body hair of men, which grows under the action of male testosterone, and is one of the important symbols of human gender. When a man is about 2 years old, the soft fluff around his lips gradually grows into a real beard, which grows by about .4 mm every day and can reach his abdomen.
Beard is a general term for mustache, beard and mustache. Usually the beard above the lips is mustache, the beard below and the mustache on both cheeks. Beard, also known as beard, is a symbol of men, and it is often used to refer to men. For example, in "Women don't let a man need a man", "a man needs a man with a beard and eyebrows". However, a few women grow a little fuzz because of endocrine disorders, but don't worry, this phenomenon will gradually disappear after careful nursing.
Since the evolution of human beings, the thick body hair of primates has faded in a large area. But the beard still hasn't disappeared from men's faces, which shows that it has its own reason. Some people think that the beard symbolizes the majesty and sexiness of men, but growing a beard can also cause a lot of trouble. A thick beard will inevitably get some food residue and dust, and it will also provide a place for bacteria to live. Many harmful substances discharged by people when breathing and many kinds of metal particles, benzene, pyrene and other substances in the air are easily adsorbed by beards and brought back to the body by inhaled air, which is not conducive to people's health.
People's beards turn white with their aging, which records people's life growth and experience. From the pride of growing the first beard when I was young, to shaving my face clean for the love of my first love, to maturity after experiencing vicissitudes, and the helplessness and relief of "being like snow" not long after, I think these are the processes that every man must go through.
"Be like yourself"
Many beards have left a deep impression on the world. Marx and Engels' thick curly beards are awe-inspiring, while Lenin's upturned goatee on his chin is so personal without losing its kindness. Lu Xun's "one-word beard" combines his scholar demeanor and warrior spirit, and his fortitude is daunting. During the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yunchang leaped forward with a horizontal knife, and his green beard fluttered, adding to his heroic spirit. No wonder the lean Cao Cao also praised him as a "bearded man" and specially gave him a splendid beard. Zhang feihu, a valiant soldier, must stand upright, which shows his strong, upright and valiant character.
Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, received a letter from a little girl during the election campaign, which said, "If you can grow your beard and add a bit of witty and mature man charm, I can let my four brothers choose you."
Of course, the villain also "should be like himself", which shows the character's nature. For example, a handful of yellow moustaches on Lou Rattle's lips in Kunqu Opera "Fifteen Guan" portrayed his image as a rogue and a petty thief more vividly. Shylock, a snobbish Venetian businessman, whose moustache is painted and waxed deliberately, represents his stingy, selfish, narrow-minded and money-oriented character. Japanese soldiers who invaded China and committed heinous crimes during World War II like to keep the so-called world's most elegant Rendanhu, which is extremely ironic. Hitler, the leader of German fascism, whose moustache was as wide as his nose was cruel and funny. No wonder he was favored by the comedian Chaplin and made his humor to the extreme.
A clever beard can also make up for a person's facial defects. Emperor hadrian of the Roman Empire covered the fat on his face with a beard. Euan Carlos I of Spain used a beard to cover up his ugliness because of his facial skin disease. Those with flat jaws can make up for it by growing pointed beards; Those with thin cheeks can make their faces look full by keeping a beard; A larger moustache is especially suitable for people with a large nose, which can make the five senses look harmonious. Shaving the beard properly can make people more beautiful; On the contrary, it may be self-defeating.
From a medical point of view, beards are also very important. Doctors can analyze a person's health from a beard. American scientists can determine whether a person suffers from malnutrition, congenital mental illness, diabetes or metabolic disorders from the laboratory analysis of a beard.
The fate and style of beards do not exist in isolation
The fate and style of beards of mortals and great men do not exist in isolation. A man's beard form often depends on the national customs, folk customs, fashion of the times, regional historical and cultural background, natural geographical environment, social life environment, personal values and lifestyle, and even the international situation at that time. For example, after 9/11, it is definitely not a wise choice to walk around the United States with a beard.
Beard is not only a matter of personal hygiene habits, but also reflects people's personality, mentality, aesthetic taste and even life pursuit. China people once thought that "the skin of the body should not be damaged by the parents", and it is not easy to shave off the beard except to shave off the hair and become a monk.
After the Revolution of 1911, men's hairstyles, costumes, social etiquette and customs in China have changed greatly, and men's haircut and shaving have become a part of their daily life. However, many manners about growing a beard are still worth learning. For example, the younger generation doesn't grow a beard in front of their elders, which is the embodiment of China's traditional cultural consciousness and ethical concept, and is of great educational significance to modern people, especially those young people who follow the fashion.
During the period of Alexandria, the Roman army stipulated that soldiers should not wear beards, not only for the sake of reducing diseases and identifying the enemy and the enemy, but also to avoid the beard being caught by the enemy in close combat. European and American cultural consciousness thinks that not having a beard is a symbol of men's status in upper class, because they think that only men with status have time to carefully trim their appearance indoors. Moreover, not having a beard can also show the subtle changes of facial expressions more accurately, which is considered as a frank performance.
Some nomadic people in North Africa, West Asia and the Middle East still have a wild custom-a man must have a lush beard if he wants to join the tribe, otherwise he must tie a kettle to his genitals and run naked around the tribal leader's tent for three times. This fully reflects the close relationship between male worship and beard of primitive people.
The growth distribution of beard is related to genetic genes and individual androgen secretion, so it varies from person to person. Usually after puberty, men's beards grow faster than their hair. In adulthood, the beard is generally the same color as hair, and it will gradually harden.
Generally, the beard first appears on both sides of the upper lip, then extends to the middle of the upper lip, cheeks and lower lip, and finally extends to the lower cheek. There are more blood vessels in the bearded area than in the hair roots, and nutrients are easy to get, so it is always "they are tall once more in the spring wind who can't shave". Just as ladies need skin care and makeup every day, shaving and cleansing have become a daily compulsory course for men.
There is a famous saying in ancient Greece: "With a long beard, lice don't grow brains", which means that the stronger the beard, the easier it is for people to get bald. From the perspective of modern biology, beards are really of little use, and even do some harm to health. There is a good saying: shaving keeps men away from apes. In fact, many men know that saying no to a beard is not that they don't want to, but they just can't.