To beard or not to beard? That is the question.
Ok, so Shakespeare wasnโt actually talking about beards when he wrote his famous lines. Still, the question of whether to rock a face full of hair or to shave it all off has long been a serious fashion question for grown men and hormonally-advanced teens.
Still, there are some major points to consider.
Am I even allowed to rock a beard at my job? If youโre a freelance writer (hello, ladies), the answer is probably yes. If you work for an old-fashioned business where you have to get dressed in the morning, the answer may be no. Do you look like a baby without hair on your face? If youโre a man, the answer is probably yes.
Regardless, weโll let you be the judge: here are 30 beard vs. no beard pictures for your consideration.
1. Drake
Drake is rarely seen without a beard these daysโthatโs probably because as the above picture shows, the clean face reminds too much of Degrassi-era Drake. We vote pro-beard on this one.
2. Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen often plays fantasy stars, rugged dudes and action heroes. Heโs a little on the older side and the beard actually makes him younger hereโso again, pro-beard.
3. Jeff Bridges
This one is not even close. Look how dignified he looks with that beard! Itโs beard all the way.
4. Chris Hemsworth
This is a prime exampleโChris Hemsworth is a handsome dude, but even he canโt totally pull off the beardless look. More often than not, men can typically use some face camouflage. We vote beard.
5. Zac Efron
Weโre going to go against trend here. Zac Efron looks like a boy, no matter how you cut itโand not all of us can yet grow a full beard. In the future, Zac may grow into his beard the same way he grew into his comedic chopsโuntil then, we vote no beard.
6. Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt has a history of questionable facial hair choices, all of which make him an ideal test case. Itโs pretty clear the beardless Brad feels a little stifled, a little out of place. In the second picture, Brad is back with a truly dirty goatee that few could pull off (a goatee he would later parlay into a pencil โstache, for Godโs sake). Thatโs right: weโre voting beard.
7. Ryan Gosling
We have to say, itโs pretty rare when someone can pull off the slightly patchy beard look as successfully as Ryan Gosling does here. Again, itโs gotta be beard.
8. Ryan Reynolds
Look, Ryan Reynolds is a handsome guy. Can he pull off the no-beard look? Sure. But does the man truly rock the beard? Yes he does and for that reason, our cards are coming up beard.
9. Ewan McGregor
The tighter look isnโt too bad for Ewan, but again: with the age comes the beard. The beards are in, and weโre voting yes.
10. Hugh Jackman
If youโre like us, you donโt even recognize the guy in the top picture. Now, the second picture? Thatโs the Hugh Jackman we all know and love. Beards all the way, baby.
11. Johnny Depp
This oneโs interesting because itโs not a huge difference in hair amount but itโs a huge difference in personality. The second beard is slight but itโs cheekyโnot literally, obviously, since itโs confined to the chin and upper lip, but cheeky all the same. Once again, beards win.
12. Chris Pine
Though itโs not the thickest, this is another example that just goes to show you canโt keep a good beard down. Go for beards.
13. Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio was once a teenage heartthrob but letโs face it, heโs getting older. This is a beard that reflects that. Itโs a beard that says โI work with Martin Scorsese a lot.โ We see it, and we support it.
14. George Clooney
Look, we wouldnโt be mad at you if you said Clooney with no beard for the win hereโhe does the no-beard well. Still though, the beard just adds a little something extra. So again, chalk this one up to a beard win.
15. Ashton Kutcher
Shaved Ashton is a pretty common sight, but how can you pass up the bearded Ashton? The more hair heโs got, the more charming he is in our humble opinion.
16. Michael Fassbender
Just another example of the patchy beard coming through in the clutch for the win. Sorry, clean-shaven Michael Fassbender.
17. Ben Affleck
This is a similar case to the DiCaprio oneโBen Affleck is getting older now and with age comes the inevitable salt and pepper beard. Thumbs up for this beard.
18. Will Smith
Weโre going to go out on a limb and say Will Smith is an unappreciated innovator in the goatee game. Itโs a bold choice but he wears it wellโanother point for the beards.
19. Tom Hardy
Nothing scary about Tom Hardy without a beard. Add the beard and Iโm suddenly terrified. Beards are power people, beards are power.
20. Matthew McConaughey
This is another classic example of rich old man beard. The execution of the actual beard hardly matters at this point, itโs what the beard implies.
21. Chris Evans
Though the top picture is fine, the smile in the second picture says it all. Thatโs a smile thatโs happy to be attached to a truly righteous beard.
22. Jon Hamm
Letโs face facts: Jon Hammโs beard is the gold standard by which all other beards are judged. So you already know which photo wins in this case.
23. Jake Gyllenhaal
There arenโt too many pictures out there of Jake Gyllenhaal without a beard. And the second picture is the reason why.
24. Robert Pattinson
Letโs be honest, Robert Pattinson is a bit of a goofy looking dude, no? You know whatโs good for that? A beard.
25. Christian Bale
Non-bearded Christian Bale reminds you of some of his more famous roles in American Psycho or the Batman movies. But bearded Christian Bale is a guy you canโt really pin downโyou might try to box him in, but you canโt. Thatโs just one of the many benefits of a good beard.
26. Denzel Washington
It takes a special kind of man to pull off the goatee and Denzel Washington is one of those chosen few.
27. Shia LaBeouf
Though we all remember the boyish Shia from Even Stevens and Holes, he hasnโt really gone backwards in terms of beard growth. Honestly, when you can grow as mighty a beard as this one, why would you?
28. Jared Leto
Jared Leto has a very striking look without a beardโit might be something about the eyes. With the beard, everything just makes a little more sense.
29. Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd is another handsome guy who can pull off a no-beard look pretty well. But when the beard is this good, why would you want to?
30. Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill played Supermanโanybody that plays Superman has to pull off the clean shaven look reasonably well. Still, you add a light sprinkling of beard hair to that equation and the results speak for themselves.
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