Facial hair
|
A full beard and moustache. |
Facial hair is a
secondary sex characteristic in human
males. Most
men develop facial hair in
puberty. Many
women also have some facial hair, especially after
menopause, though typically much less than men.
Eyebrows and
eyelashes are also grown by both sexes of all ages.
Male pogonotrophy (the growing of facial hair; beardedness) is often culturally associated with wisdom and
virility. Many men style their facial hair into
beards,
moustaches,
goatees or
sideburns. However, many others completely
shave their facial
hair. A man's facial hair, especially short hairs that were missed in shaving, is often referred to as
whiskers, although only certain nonhuman mammals have true sensory whiskers.
Women typically have little hair on their faces, apart from eyebrows and the fine fuzz nearly all people have covering most of their bodies. However, a few women have noticeable facial hair growth. Excessive hairiness (especially facially) is known as
hirsutism, and is usually an indication of abnormal
hormonal variation. In contemporary western culture, almost all women
shave,
tweeze or otherwise
depilate facial hair which does appear, as there is considerable
social stigma associated with facial hair in women.
Freak shows and
circuses once displayed (usually fake)
bearded women.
|
Abraham Lincoln was said to have grown a beard because a little girl wrote him that he would look better with one. |
The amount of facial hair on a man's face varies from individual to individual, and also between
ethnic groups. For example, men from many
East Asian,
West African or
Native American backgrounds typically have much less facial hair than those of
European,
Middle Eastern or
South Asian descent, with
Native Americans typically having little to none at all. People coming from the
Middle East, Northern
East Asian, and Eastern African can grow conspicuous amounts of facial hair.
*
Men and facial hair:
moustaches,
beards,
goatees,
sideburns,
royale and the lack of facial hair:
clean-shaven*
Women and facial hair:
depilation and
bearded women*
Shaving: the
Romans and
Greeks*
Straight or cut-throat razors and
safety razors,
electric razors
*
List of types of facial hair*
Hair*
Axillary (arm-pit) hair *
Eyebrow*
Leg hair *
Pubic hair *
Whiskers
*
DMOZ Open Directory Project - Facial Hair*
World Beard Championships*
Asian Hair This site discusses differences in Asian hair.
*
Beard Board Beard Board is a place to discuss freely about facial hair of any aspect.
[
1] How Facial Hair Influences Women's Every Day Experience
