« The Norquist Factor | Main | Pandas » A New Day23 May 2008 10:11 pm
A little bit earlier today I shaved my beard off for the first time in quite a few years (I can't remember if I've had it since 2004 or since 2005) and, perhaps foolishly, I didn't even solicit my girlfriend's opinion first. But I figure that if the reviews are bad it's easy enough to grow back. Comments (132)
Grow it back. Although I have to admit, you look more like a Terminator in this pic than you do with the beard. Maybe it's the reflection on the glasses. With regard to the girlfriend, reminds me of the lines at the end of "Cradle 2 the Grave" where Richard Anderson and Tom Arnold are talking about Richard's mother: Arnold: "You look a lot like her." Anderson: "Yeah, I keep my beard, she shaves hers." 
Not that my opinion should matter, but you look better without it.
You look...young. And good.
Is Richard Steven Hack concern-trolling your beardless face? APS
I definitely look younger. I grew it largely in order to look older, but then again I was younger then.
Was this right after you posted the Norquist video?
Adorable!!!
I also shaved a beard off in the last year. My beard was much more defining of my "look" than yours was. I did it under girlfriend pressure. Your girlfriend is going to like it; how upfront about that she is will be a measure of how close you are and how safe she feels. Your next big step will be getting rid of the plastic frames on your glasses; they are too dark. I recommend thin platinum frames, but your girlfriend will know better than I. Good luck on this, but I don't read your blog for your looks; I do it because you think. Thanks.
I've had mine for 30 years now -- can't stand the shock when I shave completely. Eventually one has to make up his mind who he really is ...
Yeah, you look younger, all right. You should probably grow it back just so the Atlantic doesn't get reported by some concerned citizen for violating child labor laws.
You look like you are 14.
You look young and inexperienced; Nothing wrong with it though. But you may not be taken seriously in some circles :-) Post your picture with the beard as well for proper comparison.
I like it. Maybe try growing your hair out a little more though. You're so close to that Colin Meloy look you should take it all the way.
"Is Richard Steven Hack concern-trolling your beardless face?" Bwahahahahahaha!!! When have I ever "concern trolled" Matt? I attack him openly! "You look young and inexperienced;" He does. He is. "Nothing wrong with it though. But you may not be taken seriously in some circles :-)" Like here. Try a Mohawk next, Matt. I've never seen a "pundit" with a Mohawk.
I think you should grow it back, Matt. Consider what it will look like for some beardless little punk to be constantly talking over Douthat. Without the beard, he'll have you right where he wants you. Is that what you want?
He's just a baby!
I shaved off a few-years-old beard sometime last year. It was a bit of a shock at first, and my first instinct was to grow it right back, but now I prefer the clean-shaven look. Give it a bit of time, and then decide how you feel about it.
Matt without his beard looks a little too much like Steven Page - the lead singer of the Bare Naked Ladies. One of the worst bands to ever come out of Canada.
Shaving off a beard really does subtract 10 years. Expect to get carded.
Hot!
Grow it back.
You shaved during the playoffs? That might be as big a jinx as your predictions.
You look fine without it, but better with it.
New glasses are next. Look for cheap online providers from a guy I found when I needed new frames and lenses. He rates his experiences and his readers. I got bifocals with frames from one of the groups he said was okay.
You shaved during the playoffs? That might be as big a jinx as your predictions. If I'm not mistaken Matt no longer has a dog in this particular fight. As a guy who originally grew a beard out of laziness and aversion to pain (I have very thick, very curly facial hair), and has since tried to make a virtue out of it, my advice it to not worry about it too much. I haven't made a study of your face, but if you're like most guys the beard/no beard issue is just a matter of difference, not good/bad. Stay clean-shaven for a few weeks, decide what you're more comfortable with (both in terms of looks and in terms of convenience) and stick with it. You (like most men) do look several years younger clean-shaven. Then again... so what? You have a photo ID proving you're old enough to get into a bar, and the rest of the look younger/look older debate is just a matter of personal taste.
What does the gf say?
You can either grow it back or lose ten pounds. I know which I'd find easier.
Dude. Grow it back.
What does the gf say? I'm awaiting her verdict tomorrow.
Take it from a serial beard grower, the girlfriend will love it (less... er, friction) and you've just lost anywhere from 5 to 10 years off your appearance. This is why I grow one every other year for a couple of months prior to my birthday for the instant youth-kick.
You are like an embryo.
I think the only objective way to address this problem is for Matt to post "before" and "after" photos on "Hot Or Not" and let the numbers decide.
Be a real man... Shave the thinning hair, grow the beard. Instant 35. But Andrew might like it a bit too much for your girlfriends liking. And get contacts at the same time. I still haven't done that... Seriously though, you look fine.
Your girlfriend obviously doesn't like you for your looks, so don't sweat it either way.
You look like that guy from Barenaked Ladies. Also, I find that doing stuff without asking the GF every now and then is helpful - makes me feel like I'm running the show.
This confirms my opinion on the uselessness of your life. You shave off your beard and ask a bunch of people that you don't even know what they think. Grow a pair and get a life. Do something useful. Join the Peace Corps or something and get some real life experiences. Like shitty Africa experiences or if you aren't up for that, settle for Central America. Two years of real life would do you some good. You can stay connected via the internet and not lose much ground overall. Then you won't give a shit what other people think because you will know who you are. Recommend a stepped up outdoor work out program and some dietary discipline. The internet is a facade. Get out and live a real life.
...most women react to beards as an attempt to cover up something - either psychological or physical or both. I think that's a bit harsh. Unless it's a truly gigantic beard it's not going to cover up (for long) any particular physical shortcoming. As for the psychology, I think that cuts both ways. I can think of legit reasons a woman would want a clean-shaven guy, and legit reasons a woman would want a bearded guy. But it's purely a matter of taste, and since the man who started this particular discussion has a girlfriend I suppose we should defer judgment.
danceswithgoats sound like a liberal version of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3g9nTOV9KM Be yourself.
Some people have faces built for beards. Bob Villa, William T. Riker, and you. Grow it back.
You look so much younger...without it. Pay not attention to the haters...
Two words: Fro hawk.
I love it when you do the Numa Numa song.
I doesn't matter. With or without, all is fine. Give yourself a couple of days to get used to seeing that face in the mirror and it will look and feel normal. Then try growing a beard but with trimming variations. Have fun with your facial hair! And head hair! And pubic hair! Dye them different colors. It all grows back eventually.
Get out and live a real life. Yeah, be a blog commenter.
I once had a beard for thirteen years, and decided to shave it once it started getting too gray. I did consult with my wife first, since I had had the beard from the time before we were married. I shaved it off and came out of the bathroom. She started crying.
Dang. I look like I'm 21 when I shave. You look like you're 16.
Thirty years ago I had a full beard I'd been coloring for weeks for a role in a play, and couldn't wait to shave it off when it was over. I took a ride on my bike immediately afterward and remember how tingly and refreshed my skin felt. I've never grown it back.
Two last comments. Yes, you probably will get carded more frequently. I was asked for ID in porn bookstores when I was 30. Second, the contact lens suggestion is good, too. I'm not sure I could do it any more as my eyes are pretty weak, but unless you have really weak eyes at your age, you should be able to do it. They aren't that big a pain, and you can afford the "accessories", hotshot pundit at a big magazine that you are. And then you can wear cheap shades, not ones with prescription lenses. Oh, wait, one last thought. Like a lot of the inmates I knew in Federal prison, have a tattoo of a target put on your forehead or the back of your head - so the cops will be able to easily arrest you after your next crime. Amazing how many of those morons do that sort of thing. I had one cellie who was literally convicted because of his tattoos - he claimed they had no real evidence for the jury until the prosecution made him reveal his tattoos in court. That was all she wrote for him. The important thing - look meaner than Bill Kristol - which shouldn't be that hard.
Thirty years ago I had a full beard I'd been coloring for weeks for a role in a play, and couldn't wait to shave it off when it was over. I took a ride on my bike immediately afterward and remember how tingly and refreshed my skin felt. I've never grown it back.
Lmao, if your girlfriend is a feminist she knows full well she has no right to tell you what to do with your appearance. Of course, thats ignoring the fact that the vast majority of people are hypocrites and women who would go apeshit on you if you criticized the way they changed their hair wouldn't think twice about telling you how to cut yours or even how to dress.
I agree J.G: we need a before pic to truly render a fair judgement.
I agree J.G: we need a before pic to truly render a fair judgement.
I agree with J.G: we need a before pic to truly render a fair judgement.
Bring it back.
@soulite 1:16, You need to get out of the house and meet some real women.
Looks like you're getting fat... I would have kept the beard in order to hide this.
Get contacts. You don't need glasses to show you're studious or intellectual, it's obvious from your job. Strip your face bare, show your eyes.
All he needs now is the peda-smile.
This is good. Your pogonotrophy had a pubic quality that was... unbecoming.
Now if you could only shave off your face! Ah ha ha! Just kidding Matty - keep up the good work. But do yourself a favor - stick to punditry and try not to turn your blog into "Am I Hot Or Not"... ha ha ha
WTF? Dude, grow it back.
WTF? Dude, grow it back.
WTF?
Aren't we all curious to know Petey's opinion on this? C'mon Petey; where are you?
Does this mean Ezra and Ross are going to lose their beards too? Ross is going to look pretty young.
It is fine either way. As others have said the biggest factor is going to be age. Every time I sheared mine off people said how much younger I looked and others have reported the same. I am biased towards beards, and will take some time to adjust to the snarks not emanating from a bearded one. The age factor may push you to grow it back, to the maturity of your writing closer to some kind of alignment with your appearance.
Matt,
Matt,
If I had a beard, I'd shave it after watching Norquist too.
What's that thing coming out of your ear? And the reflection in the glasses is a little creepy. I would like to think that you have at least some sort of nanoexistence away from the vicinity of a glowing computer screen. Re the beard, I'd say: go all the way with the removal of extraneous head stuff -- shave not only your face, but also your head, or at least buzz the hair way down, because you are not a hair guy. Also, get contacts. But the girlfriend's advice should be given more weight than that of any of us peanuts.
live just beat me to it on the question about the wire growing out of your ear. With the earphone, the clean shave and the short hair, all you need now is a dark suit and a pair of shades and you could go for a geeky Agent Smith look. But then you'd really need to take off a few pounds and learn some badass karate moves.
You should have waited till you're over 30. You know, when "looking younger" doesn't mean "maybe next year I'll go through puberty."
Two words, Mr. Yglesias: Porn Stache. I was going to grow one out after watching My Name IS Earl, but I'm about to spend the summer in a totalitarian country - and there is inherently subversive about the porn stache and I'd hate to wind up in a Chinese gulag. So I'll have to wait until fall... you on the other hand best get started right away...
M, sans beard - you like a 1942 Manhattan Project weirdo. Avec beard, Errol Flynn you're not (who is?), but it gives you a 1962 Left Bank gravitas that's winning. My not so humble suggestion - grow it back. p.s. guess you didn't feel the need to mention N. Finkelstein's arrest in Israel, cocommitant with a 10 year ban. it's understandable- he's only the "poisonous, self-hating Jew found crawling under a rock" (L.Wiesenthal) whose 25+ year perserverance to expose Israel's War Crimes actually shifted the theme of the Israel/Palestine debate in America from "cycle of violence" to "The Israeli Occupation". A real mensch, in other words.
The narcissism comment was unnecessary. Matt's output on this blog is respectable and it's nice to see it broken up once in a while with something goofy.
Grow it back. Not close. At all.
Does this mean Matt has recovered from his failed Presidential campaign?
Oh! So like the young Matt Yglesias that I saw at that Perspective intro meeting in Loker Commons, years ago... Maybe it's because it's the way I saw you at first, but I think you look a lot better without the beard. Younger, which may have strategic ups and downs for various purposes. Definitely better, though.
It is a little known fact that the Latin word, "gravitas," means "bearded." Just sayin' . . .
Give Sara a day or two to get used to the new look. A freshly shaven, formerly bearded face sometimes has an almost babylike look that comes from not having been exposed to the elements. A few days of shaving will make a difference.
Sorry Matt but you are no La Bamba...
5 will get you 10 that JTHB was once smitten with a girl who dumped him for a black guy. He stalked her to her apartment and peering through a side window caught her making out with the guy. Whereupon, JTHB projectile vomited loud enough for his ex to call the cops. The still nauseous Peeping Tom was sweating profusely as he was cuffed and shoved into the back of the black & white. That's his problem with Barack Obama - racist neurotic sexual jealousy.
Coincidentally, I just shaved my beard too on Wednesday night. I've had it forever, but on a whim just decided to blast it all off. There were some factors building up to it. First, sometimes it promotes laziness, in the sense that it allows me to mask putting on extra weight, so whenever I start getting motivated to get back heavy into the fitness thing, trim down and rip up, I inevitably shave the beard. Second, I was beginning to notice tiny hints of gray in the goatee and sideburn areas of the beard. I'm not ready for that, it's one thing to have some hard to notice hints of gray in the hair, but it's a different thing to have that in facial hair, as a young guy anyway. Third, I'd been contemplating that people I know are growing beards as we get deeper in the playoffs (Lakers), but I already had a beard so what good is that? So instead wouldn't it show more commitment to actually ditch the beard? This was just a thought though. Neither of these three really overtly caused me to trim the beard, just contributed to my overall state of mind when I looked in the mirror the other day and decided on a change. Beards/goatees/variations are cool, but only if you're really committed to them, otherwise they can get sloppy quick, so change is good sometimes to keep it fresh for the next time you decide to grow it back out again. Why did I just share all this? I have no idea, I'm super tired but just thought it was funny that we both did this around the same time, and also because I'm super buzzed right now after celebrating the Lakers beatdown tonight, a very critical win for us. To Matt's question, losing the beard is definitely a big change, but it looks good. I'm actually impressed there isn't that much irritation in the chin area, I'm not always the best at keeping up with the moisturizers in order to keep that area pristine while I have facial hair, but maybe Matt's isn't as thick. As for those who were jerks in this thread, you know who you are and it's pathetic.
To underscore how deliciously tired/buzzed I am, was just getting ready for bed, looked in the mirror, and realized that I actually still have a very compact, sharply (and shortly) trimmed goatee, it was just everything else I shaved off. Silly me.
I think it makes you look more like a trust fund scumbag. So you should leave it shaved.
Also, it makes you look less like Grover Norquist. (Although I hear he has to beat off the club hotties with a truncheon.
I think you look like Steven Page from the Barenakedladies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Page
A couple of reactions: You had a beard a whole 4-5 years and think that is a long time? Keep one for 10-15 then call me. 4-5 years still qualifies as a mere stage you will grow out of. I had an ad on match.com that got maybe 2 responses. I shaved my beard off, updated the photo, and BAM! 8-12 responses a week for about a month. I know some women dig beards, but by and large, all things being equal, they'd prefer a clean shaven man. I lived in DC when I shaved my beard off. First time I walked south on 12th St NW past the Federal Triangle Metro stop on a very cold winter day. The wind on that block is the strongest in DC and when it hit me full in the face I regretted shaving that beard off. Beards have purposes besides ascetics. Matt: if you can keep it off through winter, you are home free.
Brave man to solicit the tubes for advice about your personal appearance...
Try a compromise position before keeping entirely shaved or growing it back. That is, go with the Grey's Anatomy scrubble look. FWIW, that is the look my wife loves most. She would be creeped out if I grew a full beard. Also, this will give your face better angular definition and add a few years.
You're writing for The Atlantic -- one of the single most reliable sources for intelligent journalism for the past 150 years. Please check your narcissism at the door. It used to be a reliable source for intelligent journalism but then they decided to start hiring bloggers.
I vote for back. I'm keeping my beard,
If this pundit thing doesn't work out, you could always stand in for Dwight from The Office.
It used to be a reliable source for intelligent journalism but then they decided to start hiring bloggers. Fair point. So let's see more quizzes! PS. I vote for growing it back.
Wise choice to give your whiskers the heave-ho, Matty. The facial mullet/evil Spock thing was a bit to Jonah-esque for my tastes.
Grow it back. But: "the girlfriend's advice should be given more weight than that of any of us peanuts." Most definitely.
Grow it back!
Good choice, Yglesias. Beards are an abomination.
I'm not sure about the beard one way or another, but I most definately second the mohawk! max
> I took a ride on my bike immediately afterward and But how many of you have taken a bike ride immediately after shaving your *legs* - now that feels weird!
Motherfucker made you put on your game face.
Considering the comments further up about how this post is narcissistic, unworthy of The Atlantic and so forth, I notice that the thread now has over a hundred comments, the third-highest number for any of the posts currently on display in Matt's blog. If there's something unseemly in Matt's post about his face, then we commenters (myself included) will have to admit that we are taking an equally unseemly interest in his face.
chubby cheeks!!
markt @11:01 My guess is that the gf likes it.
I liked you better as a bear.
Can't wait for a beardless Table.
Beards seem to be becoming kind of trendy these days, so I salute you for going the other direction. In fact, I wonder whether that's not part of why you did it.
You look fine without the beard, MY, but I for one say grow it back. I love a nice full beard and prodded my husband into growing one years ago. (Among other things, it makes for a much more efficient bathroom clean-up.) Good luck!
A thought - Michael Williams, the actor that played Omar, didn't have his career take off until he got that knife scar across his face. I guess it made him look distinctive and dangerous. Imagine what a similar scar would do for your punditry.
It is now clear that Trevor is the single smelliest turd posting here. He makes Richard Steven Hack look like Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
You look a bit like the lead singer for Barenaked Ladies. What that says I leave in your hands.
What a younger-looking Matt! I hope your office mates don't gossip about the new intern! Hehehe... *Tip*- Your eyewear is more complementary with a beard, and it appears too dominating and heavy without one. Consider contacts, and if you like the glasses, grow back the beard. Just the friendly advice of a non-Marxist dialectic in San Francisco. Cheers!
What a younger-looking Matt! I hope your office mates don't gossip about the new intern! Hehehe... *Tip*- Your eyewear is more complementary with a beard, and it appears too dominating and heavy without one. Consider contacts, and if you like the glasses, grow back the beard. Just the friendly advice of a non-Marxist dialectic in San Francisco. Cheers!
What a younger-looking Matt! I hope your office mates don't gossip about the new intern! Hehehe... *Tip*- Your eyewear is more complementary with a beard, and it appears too dominating and heavy without one. Consider contacts, and if you like the glasses, grow back the beard. Just the friendly advice of a non-Marxist dialectic in San Francisco. Cheers!
"It is now clear that Trevor is the single smelliest turd posting here. He makes Richard Steven Hack look like Daniel Patrick Moynihan." (Pags) This from a hidebound ziocon wannabe with ravioli stains on his collarless izod.
It takes real guts to put up a pix of yourself and open a comment thread. Bravo. No doubt this has been mentioned, but I would change your glasses- your current ones emphasize a horizontal line and make your face look fatter. But clean shaven is a good move- now smile!
I think you look better with the beard, but then I've had a full beard for over nine years. Maybe I'll shave at the ten year mark, just for a change.
I would like to know Ross Douthat's Hair's thoughts on the matter.
You posting this is art.
I apologize for not reading the thread (because I figure this is a decision best left to people who actually know Yglesias, but I will point out the number of comments for today's posts: Yglesias's post about his having shaved: 120 comments.
Warren, you should also note the other relevant stat: Yglesias's response to comments on this post: 3 Yglesias's response to comments on the last 100 posts: 2 (a total bullshit guess, but it may actually be high).
Yeah, Matt can argue with me about his book sales, but not about my two Iran questions. What's wrong with this picture?
Matt, I don't know what you looked like with the beard, but I like the beardless look. Regarding the glasses, I've gone with the glare-free lenses in my last two pairs. They're pricey, but I like the fact that people can see me through them. (Glare from camera flash may overpower even these lenses, but in case you don't have them, I'd recommend.)
I don't know what you looked like with the beard, but I like the beardless look. This is what he looked like: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Matthew_Yglesias.jpg
I like the beard, myself. Without it you have to be a little more careful sartorially, in order to avoid looking like a College Republican. (i.e. any shade of blue above the waistline in combination with khaki below it is risky; whereas the beard neutralizes the effect, you see.)
You look much better and frankly handsomer without the beard. I shaved my beard off in 1976 when I was 30 (I was accused by the leader of a new age group program I was participating in that by having a beard, I was hiding) and have not had it since. Seems like many commenters want you to grow it back because you look too young without it, but most of them are young themselves and are hung up about looking too young to get "respect" from others. Matt, you know get respect by the strenghth of your ideas, your writing, your analysis and your mus-ky' or brain. You are pretty much aces in each. The size or shape of your large head (which contains the large brain) for some reason, at your age at least, does not work with your beard. Wait about 15 years til you begin, if you do, to aquire a double chin, and you can re evaluate. As an aside, I developed one at that age along with a middle, but I had gotten used to the clean shaven appearance and kept it.
Dude, you look like you're 12. Grow it back.
What gives? I thought you were gay.
Much better. Eyebrows stand out more, and you have a nice mouth. Beards tend to detract from mouths.
Comments closed June 06, 2008. |
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Heads in the Sand
Matt,
I think you look fine without the beard, but what's *your* reaction? When I shaved off mine almost a year ago, I was horrified by what I saw in the mirror. I grew it back ASAP.
Posted by davep | May 23, 2008 10:19 PM