Which Men Look Good with Beards?

I recently decided to try to answer this question. 

My interest in the question was sparked when I noticed that some men who appear to have a lot of Romantic or Ethereal -- which are feminine essences -- -- are more attractive with full beards than they are clean-shaven.

This was initially a puzzle to me, because beards, I was thinking, are iconically masculine, and these men are otherwise flattered by feminine details such as soft fabrics and draping. ​ (Kit Harington is gorgeous in a draped scarf.) 

But a couple of possible explanations have occurred to me.

Romantic and Ethereal essences require soft edges and a lack of structure.  Hair is inherently soft-edged and unstructured, right? A person has to go to a lot of effort to make hair look stiff or sharp. 

So perhaps a full beard on a very Romantic man (a man with sexy, voluptuous features) or a very Ethereal man (a man with angelic, otherworldly features) is flattering because the beard adds soft edges and a lack of structure to the face. 
​

I think Benedict Cumberbatch has a lot of Ethereal, and I love him with facial hair.  

(Though the right is too scraggly! It's tough to find a pic of him with a full but neat beard.)

​Same with Keanu Reeves and Tyson Beckford.

​In all of these men, I think the beard, in addition to adding softness,  brings out the "wise" quality Ethereals have.

(Keanu has some Dramatic too, I think. More on those guys below.) 


But how do we explain men with a lot of Ingenue (a youthful, pretty, girlish beauty) who are flattered by beards? Because that's totally a thing.

​Ingenue is a feminine essence, but unlike Romantic and Ethereal it calls for clean edges and a bit of stiffness. So you wouldn't necessarily think a beard would flatter an Ingenue man's face.

Yet I notice a lot of men who seem to be quite Ingenue are improved by beards. 

Rainn Wilson (Dwight from from The Office​) has a high forehead, a tiny nose, a small mouth, and a tiny chin -- all features that read as girlish.  I'm guessing he has a lot of Ingenue. And he's much improved by a beard. 

I suspect Eddie Redmayne has a lot of Ingenue as well. (He's so pretty, and see how well he passes for a girl.) And again, look how much better he is with a beard. 

Jeffrey Wright is another actor I'd call "pretty" without a beard, and who looks much more handsome bearded:

I think beards do flatter Ingenue men. The question "why?" is one I'm still mulling over.

To my eye, beards on these men bring out quite a bit of manliness that wasn't previously there. They seem to bring these men into balance as men. Without the beards, these men are too​ Ingenue, IMO. 

Is it the case that a beard, despite being iconically masculine, is actually feminizing in its visual effect? ... because it's soft and round-edged?  And that adding the feminine element to an Ingenue man emphasizes his masculine qualities by contrast? -- just as adding the masculine elements to Dramatic, Natural, and Gamine women actually make them appear more feminine? (Great example: short hair s. long hair on Winona Ryder.) 

​I think I'm on to something here.



                *   *   * 

Who else is flattered by a beard? Well, our craggy, rough-hewn, approachable Naturals, of course. That shouldn't surprise anyone. They're like the poster guys for beards.

See Jeff Bridges, The Rock, and Will Ferrell, three guys I think have a lot of Natural:

(Though the Rock has perhaps Classic and Dramatic too?)

​In the case of Naturals, I think the explanation is obvious: Naturals are good with shagginess. Beards have a shaggy quality. Easy peasy. 

(This is analogous to Natural being the only masculine essence that is flattered by round edges instead of sharp corners, and by flow instead of structure.) 

​So, who isn't great with a full beard?

Well, Gamines, for one -- men whose handsomeness is boyish.
​
Leonardo DiCaprio has a ton of Gamine (which is why he can wear bow ties even though he's over six feet), and he is definitely more handsome without a beard. ​

This makes sense -- Gamines need straight lines and sharp corners.  

The only facial hair I've seen look appropriate on Gamine-influenced  men is controlled and mischievous-looking:

But for a very Gamine man, even a groomed, devilish goatee is too much: 

Meh. Baby-faced Leo is just better clean-shaven.

​Classics, too, are not at their best with beards. I suspect Jon Hamm has Classic with some Dramatic, and I don't think a beard is an improvement on him.

(He may have some Natural too, but not enough to pull off that beard.)

It makes sense that men with a lot of Classic wouldn't be flattered by beards; Classic beauty derives almost totally from regular, symmetrical features, and a beard would just obscure those perfect features.

Is George Clooney better with a beard? I don't think so, and I suspect the explanation lies in how much Classic he has. 

(He has a little Natural, but, again, not enough to work that beard, IMO. And he also has some Gamine, which is contraindicating the beard as well.) 

Michael C. Hall is also too regular-featured for facial hair:

Last but not least, let's look at highly Dramatic men -- men with masculine features that are sharp, narrow, and intimidating.

​I don't love them with full,  uncontrolled beards, but they can be flattered by very controlled and/or imposing facial hair. A beard that's groomed to be very full only around the mouth (like a very full Van Dyke beard)  is good for Dramatics. And I keep coming back to highly Dramatic men as the only men who seem able to pull off a full (not thin or fine) solo mustache -- especially when it's turned down at the corners. 

What do you notice about the men in your life?
And how do we explain beards for Ingenue men?
​Let me know what you think.