I will not bore you with the details but the short of it is, I waited until the final week of the semester to complete approximately half the semester's work load for ENG102 at Rio Salado CC in Tempe, AZ. As foolish as this was, I am fortunate enough to have a flexible instructor who will allow me to submit the late assignments. Now that being said I do not know if my course end date extension request will be approved so as for now, I need help composing a sentence outline and rough draft within the next 24 hours. The current course end date is 5/4 and there are other assignments due after this essay.
Now the silver lining... I have the entire week off from work on PTO, I have nothing else to focus on other than this course.
Here is an excerpt from my proposal essay (makes the argument for the validity of the research project) which actually was written with ease this morning and hit all the rubrics required:
"Facial hair participation has seen an increase in recent years and there is much speculation as to why that is. Not only are we seeing an increase in beard growth but we are finding beards in environments where they were formerly discouraged. The focus of my research question will encompass two parts, why the increase in beards and how beards change society's perception of men." (this has already been submitted to Turnitin so I wouldn't copy it if I were you)
I need a jump start creating the sentence outline which should 4-5 pages long (single spaced) for the final essay which will be 8-10 pages long (double spaced). I want to know if 3 main ideas will cover it. The 2 I have come up with so far should be no surprise- Why men choose to grow facial hair, and How society's perception of a man changes with variations in facial hair. What to do for number 3??? You don't think 2 main ideas will do it...do you? Would it be helpful to see my annotated bibliography and/or proposal essay?
I am actively involved with several other forums but none are academic in nature. Please help!
Thank you so far for the feedback, I have been working with my professor to get more time. Please provide a peer review of this draft if you would!
You Should Grow That Beard!
Ryan Virgil
Professor Schwenckert
English 102
18 May 2013â
You may not see bearded men very frequently but that may change. The number of men wearing beards is increasing. When you do see a beard, what comes to mind? How does a beard influence your perception of a man? Beards may be considered a fashion accessory. They do change a man's appearance after all and humanity has long been obsessed with appearance. It should come as no surprise then that there has been very specific scientific study as to how beards influence perception. Society has seen a recent increase in the number of men who choose to wear beards and despite some perceptions changing for the worse, the net change in perception is positive.
It is important to understand history's bearded past when evaluating today's beards. History provides rich examples of scenarios where beards were either encouraged or discouraged. Kings or other political leaders would create laws against wearing beards or levy a tax on the men who wore beards. Peter the Great of early Russia imposed a beard tax which tied to a man's economic status. Other leaders grew certain types of facial hair to hide imperfections which influenced populations to wear beards.
Women who were daughters of influential men were not always pleased with arranged marriages they were forced into. They grew beards in protest but were sometimes executed for doing so. A 9th-century princess of Portugal did exactly this when promised to the King of Sicily and as such her father had her crucified. In today's society, women in general go to great lengths to remove their unwanted facial hair. Women with beards are likely to be part of a traveling exhibition.
Certain groups used religious practice as a reason for or against wearing beards. The Amish have a defined beard which men typically wear once married. Christ and many saints are almost always depicted with beards. In many cases beards were simply worn by fathers and their fathers before them creating a sense of heritage for young men to embrace.
While men can be as creative as they want in the way they style their beards, certain cuts are more recognizable than others. Celebrities who wear a specific style of facial tend to own the look over time. It is not uncommon for someone to refer to a celebrity when describing a friends beard. Styles range from a full, wild, unkempt, beard, to finely groomed mustaches and chin straps, or to sideburns. Social media spreads whimsical charts of beards and their meanings. Even a clean shaven man can be evaluated on the beard scale, a rating of zero.
National television programming has seen rise to shows featuring heavily bearded men. These shows have gained much popularity causing men to wear beards to emulate persons on television. Television may in part be responsible for an increase in beard wearing men today. Shows like Duck Dynasty, Fast and Loud, Backyard Oil, American Hoggers, Call of the Wild Man, and more are incredibly popular and feature characters with full beards and large personalities. Other men would like to create the persona of a character such as a biker, lumberjack, sea farer, trucker, etc. and grow a beard for this purpose. For some men, wearing a beard is simple form of self-expression.
Medical benefits have been proven to further support the argument for beard wearing. Beards provide sun blocking properties which are effective enough they can be given SPF ratings. Beards create a wind block on the face and neck to prevent skin from drying out. Beards- more specifically mustaches that grow just below the nostrils, create a loosely effective allergen filter. Bacteria can live in beards and there are documented cases of irritation and burning of the skin from more severe medical conditions which some would say is an argument against beards. Beards, as other hair on the body, generate warmth for the owner. Women may find beards uncomfortable during times of intimacy thus discouraging her partner from wearing a beard.
Perceptions may not always represent truth but the way a beard can change a man's perception may be reason enough for him to commit to the look. Scientists have taken an interest in how beards change perception and of course they use the scientific method to conduct their research. The typical test involves participants viewing photos of an individual with varying levels of facial hair with fixed facial expressions. The participants are asked specific questions regarding the perception they develop of the men in the photos.
Researchers at the University of Salento and the LUISS 'Guido Carli' University focused on marketing and advertising perceptions. They found beards have proven to increase trustworthiness and credibility of the actor selling certain products but not others. Universities have found that beards have created a perception that a man with a beard is less creative than a man without. In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard is more independent than a man without. In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard is more intimidating than a man without.
Various scientific research proves that beards increase a man's attractiveness where other studies have shown beards decrease a man's attractiveness. In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard is more aggressive than a man without. In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard is more defiant than a man without. In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard is a better protector of his children than a man without.
In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard is more mature than a man without. In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard is more masculine than a man without. In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard has more social dominance than a man without. In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard has more expertise than a man without. Various scientific research proves that beards cause perception of a man's age to be older where other studies have shown beards create a perception of younger age.
In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard is more responsible than a man without. In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard carries leftist political ideas. In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard tends to be a non-conformist which can impact a man's ability to get hired. Scientists have proven that men with a beard receive a perception of higher social status. In scientific study, beards have created a perception that a man with a beard is more rebellious than a man without.
Financial issues may provide motivation for some men to grow beards. Men who have lost employment due to a sluggish economy grow beards because they've simply given up (if temporarily) on putting in the effort to maintain a clean cut appearance. Razors for shaving have risen in price dramatically. Men who are feeling the pain from these price increases may stop shaving altogether if they haven't found other cost effective alternatives to shaving.
My own personal experience has been a reflection that wearing a beard certainly influences my perception. Over the last 10 years I have bounced back and forth between bearded, clean shaven, and goateed. Today I wear a full beard and receive many compliments when out and about. I do receive negative feedback toward my beardedness at the office I have worked at for the last 5 years. I also notice subtle things such as the way people are quick to move out of my way in the supermarket. This would tell me they see me as more aggressive despite my kind nature.
The data backs it up- bearded men net a positive change to their perceptions over that of clean shaven men. Perceptions aside, the medical benefits derived from beard wearing are reason enough for a man to grow his stubble. Those on the fence should let it out.â
Works Cited
de Souza, Altay Alves Lino. et al. "PERCEPTION OF MEN'S PERSONAL QUALITIES AND
PROSPECT OF EMPLOYMENT AS A FUNCTION OF FACIAL HAIR." Psychological Reports. Vol. 92 (2003): 201-208. Print.
Dixson, Barnaby J. and Brooks, Robert C. "The role of facial hair in women's perception of
men's attractiveness, health, masculinity, and parenting abilities." Evolution and Human Behavior. 24 Feb. 2013: Web. 30 April 2013.
Dixson, Barnaby J. and Vasey, Paul V. "Beards augment perceptions of men's age, social status,
and aggressiveness, but not attractiveness." Behavioral Ecology. 13 Jan. 2012: Web. 30 April 2013.
Mapes, Diane. "Hairy economy trend: Beards are back." NBC NEWS.com. 10 Feb. 2009. Web. 30 April 2013
Peterkin, Allan. One Thousand Beards. British Columbia: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2001. Print.
