Whether it be societal pressures, workforce policies or the opinions of our friends and family, this seems to be a question that most men face at some point in their lives. I'm here to tell you that there really is no simple "Yes" or "No" answer to this age old question, but here are some thoughts on the subject.

When speaking about societal pressures and norms one must think of their origin. Somewhere along the line a group of people decided that a man's face was meant to be shaven. This in turn, caused the man with the unshaven face to be ostracized, for a lack of better words. This same group of people could have just as easily decided the opposite, or that a man's head should be clean shaven as well. Yikes! (No offense to all of the bald men out there who continue to pull that badass look off). As beardsmen, it is our obligation to slowly reverse how society views us for the better, through our actions and appearances.

Workforce policies aren't always so simple. Some companies strictly forbid facial hair, there really is no getting around that, but most of these companies will be upfront about this through the interview process. For those companies or workplaces that have no written facial hair expectation, feel free to experiment. Keep your beard neat, trimmed and conditioned. As you've also heard me say previously, dress sharp and be the best at whatever it is that you do. It won't matter that you're bearded. Hell, if anything it will make you stand out in a sea of clean shaven men, while appearing more confident and commanding.

When it comes to your friends and family some will support it, some won't. That's just the way it is and always will be. The more committed and passionate you are about your bearded journey, the more supportive your friends and family will be in the long run. Remember to be strong, as it can be tough to ward off the negative comments in the early stages, but this will soon pass. You will just become their bearded friend, father, son, or husband.

If you're reading this and you're a man at a point in his life, decide what is best for you. Ultimately it is about what you want and what will make you and your loved ones happy. I could go on and on about how growing a beard has changed my life, but I'll save that for another post. For those men who have made it through this stage, and become life-long beardsmen, try to remember what it was like in the early stages and be supportive to those breaching the bearded threshold. I personally think that every man should grow their beard to the 6 month mark at some point in their life. After all, there are few things in life more loyal than a beard. No matter how many times you shave it, it will always come back.