Beards have long been linked to the ways that men feel about themselves at any given point in time. Whilst we all like to think of ourselves as individuals, wearing a beard – or indeed not – is generally influenced by a number of factors, and involves conscious decisions. The beard, for example, was once portrayed as an outward symbol of inner male characteristics. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, beliefs in the four bodily humours meant that beards were regarded as a form of bodily waste. In fact, facial hair was seen as the result of heat rising out of the ‘reins’ – the area that included the genitals! To have a thick beard suggested that lots was going on down there and, therefore, the beard was considered a reliable marker of virility and sexual potency.