Blog
Fashion or Flop: The Art of Growing a Beard
November 01, 2025
Do you see beards as unkempt and unstylish? Or do you think beards are the epitome of beauty?
Like many things, both can be true. Depending on who you ask, of course. Ungroomed facial hair was considered taboo until the Victorian beard movement, when people began to grow long, luscious beards and distinctive mustaches. Aside from developing fashion, shaving without a safety razor could be dangerous. This incentivized people to abandon their daily ritual of shaving and to grow out their facial hair instead.
More uniquely, during the Victorian era, doctors believed in the theory of miasma, an outdated belief that diseases were caused by poor air quality. Doctors prescribed growing a beard to men as “nature’s respirator” to limit disease. We have since learned that beards can hold a lot of microbes if not properly cleaned, and do not work as a respirator of any sort.
The beard movement in the Victorian era died out after about three centuries, but the fashion sense carried over, as seen in the many photographs of beards. From close-cropped beards to long, groomed beards, every shape and style suits a person in their own unique way.
For your own beard-growing inspiration, be sure to explore the GVSU Art Museum's collection of bearded individuals.
This guest blog was written by GVSU student Elias Gemmen, Student Gallery Assistant for GVAM.
Artist Unknown, Untitled (Portrait of a Man), carte de visite, L11.2022.122(39)
Artist Unknown, Untitled (Portrait of a Man), real photo postcard, 2021.33.585.
Artist Unknown, Untitled (Portrait of a Man), real photo postcard, 2020.1.376.
Artist Unknown, Untitled (Portrait of a Man), real photo postcard, 2021.33.686.
Artist Unknown, Untitled (Portrait of a Man), carte de visite, L11.2022.121 (55).