What women want… it’s the age-old question, and something even Mel Gibson, in his infinite wisdom, couldn’t figure out in the film of the same name. And while it’s never going to be possible to figure out what every woman wants, we decided to ask a group of women what they think about what men get up to behind the bathroom door.
What do women think about beards? Everything from what facial hair should men wear, to their thoughts on skincare, and where a man should never take his razor. This will the first in a series of articles on what the fairer sex finds attractive about male grooming. Strap in.
The face.
... it’s the window to the soul, or at least the eyes are. This must mean that the cheeks are the walls of the soul, and your beard is the creeping ivy of the soul. And your fringe is the roof of the soul…but anyway.
It’s the first thing people see when they meet you (even on video call, you can’t get away from it.) And unless you’re going to Shia LaBeouf it and wear a bag on your head, you’re going to have to decide what kind of facial hair you sport. So what do women think about this prime bit of real estate, should it be covered in hair or not?
Stubble stubble.
We asked our group what facial hair they prefer from a choice of a clean shave, beard, stubble or something else. About two-thirds went for stubble and another 15% for a beard. The main reason given is that it makes a man look more manly. An Australian research paper surveyed 8,500 women, and heavy stubble came out on top –for women seeking a one-night stand. While our group was in favour of their partners stumbling up. The one lady who preferred her man shaven gave a more comfortable kissing experience as the reason.
When asked for their facial hair dealbreakers the humble moustache, as worn by seventies pornstars and everyone’s favourite Italian plumber, was singled out as a facial hair no-no. Extra long nose and ear hair also got a mention. And the soul patch was also singled out. Which, given the re-emergence of other 90s trends, might make a comeback –coming soon to a hipster near you. Apart from that, and unsurprisingly, the consensus is that unkempt or dirty facial hair is undesirable. So whatever facial hair you go for, keep it clean and neat.
Your hair or mine?
If you’ve ever had a beard and shaved it off without warning, you know that people can be a little pointed with their opinions. So we asked our group of ladies what they thought about their partner changing up their style.
Here, opinions were more mixed. Most of the women said they would like to talk to their partner if they were changing from shaven to beardy and vice versa. About 50% said it was their partner’s own choice. But most answers gave the impression that they would want to give their opinion about it. One person was even worried about what a sudden change of facial could mean… So maybe don’t spring a new facial hairstyle on your partner without warning. In case, she starts to worry that something is up.
Rinse and…
So there you have it, our first in our series, That's what she said, asking women what they think of facial hair. The key takeaway being if you keep your facial hair neat, don’t let your nose hair get too long and give your partner a bit of warning before drastic style changes. Oh, and a bit of stubble will up your masculine vibe, which is a positive for most women.
The next article in this series will explore the female take on male skincare. What do women think about men looking after their skin? And does it contradict their idea of what’s masculine for a man to do?
