Beards are bigger than ever in men's fashion trends, and people either love them or hate them.
Personally, I'm not a big fan. A little stubble or a nicely groomed beard isn't bad, but as soon as you starting having to use a brush on a beard, I'm not interested.
I live in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn which is comprised of 90% "hipsters." Sometimes, when I ride the train to work, I can't tell if I'm in New York or at a Lord of the Rings convention. I see some of the men my friends are dating and I think, "Is that your boyfriend or a dwarf?"
The beard craze just gets more and more extreme. I think half the guys I meet are ZZ Top rejects.
There are now contests for the longest beard. There are are runway shows for beard designs. There are even accessories you can buy specifically for your beard.
Scroll down for visual images of some ridiculous, but also very real, beard design trends that you might see at your local coffee shop.
Of course, I kid about the beards. To each, his own. One company, Beard Season, is encouraging the growth of beards to raise awareness about melanoma. They are selling one of the accessories below to raise funds and awareness.
Ok. I don't love all of these accessories, but if it's for a good cause…
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These Christmas-themed baubles were recently put on the market and are already sold out. All profits were donated to a Melanoma related nonprofit.
It's hard for me to imagine kissing someone with a bunch of Christmas bulbs in his beard like this.
This model looks very ponderous in his photo. I wonder if he's pondering taking those bulbs out of his beard.
I find this even more disturbing.
If you are interested in learning more about their cause, visit the Beard Season website to learn how men are educating each other about melanoma.
Keep going for more bearded ridiculousness.
Another unfortunate beard trend is the flower beard.
No thanks.
I hope he doesn't have to fertilize those flowers.
NOT A BOUQUET I WANT TO RECEIVE.
Excuse me, sir. There's something on your face. I believe it's a garden?
It looks like he tried to camouflage himself in a garden, but gave up halfway through.
Don't stop there. There are more on the next page!
Beard jewelry was actually quite common in ancient eras. So was smallpox.
Maybe some trends are best left in the past.
I like a small, tasteful accessory too.
What could the next beard trend be? I'm not sure I want to find out.
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