Grizzly Adams Takes Over Hollywood

I watched the Oscars Sunday evening and I was struck my two things.  First, strapless gowns are back in style, which is a bummer for women with breasts that are a C cup or larger.  However beautiful and elegant in appearance, that style typically pulls breasts downward, making the dress quite uncomfortable and the wearer conscientious of it the entire time.  It's nothing a little adhesive and elaborate underwire can't fix...but watch out when you remove the adhesive.  Try to avoid getting any on the nipple.  I'd love to tell you that advice didn't come from personal experience...but we live and learn, right?  Ouch! 

Second, full beards for men are coming back.  I am way more discouraged by this one.  This is not an attractive look.  Before that statement offends people with beards, let me clarify.  A thin, trimmed beard is fine and can even look classy…but that wasn’t what everyone at the Oscars was sporting.  They were wearing bushy, thick, un-kept-looking beards; which, quite frankly, I find repulsive. 

 

For the sake of fun, let’s do a little comparison.  Here is Clooney with the beard.

Here is Clooney without the beard.

And, just because he's one of my all time favorites...on my laminated card...here's another non-bearded Clooney pic:

 

Whew!  Is it getting hot in here?!  Seriously, though, in which picture does he look younger and more handsome?

The same is true for Ben Affleck, Hugh Jackman and just about every other man at the Oscars who was sporting a bushy beard.  Unless you're auditioning for the role of Grizzly Adams, it's not a good look.  It doesn't scream class nor cleanliness.

You will find a small percentage of women who will disagree with me, but for the most part, women don't want to feel like we're making out with a furry dog when we kiss a man... and we don't want to be burned by your stubble either.  We don't want bushy, bristly hair on your face any more than you want it in our armpits or on our legs.

I don't know any women who have said, "Oh, look at that hairy looking, Sasquatch of a man!  I'd sure like to do him!" I've never heard any woman utter this phrase, which is probably why all of the men in my novels are cleanly shaven.  How could I write a romantic scene otherwise? 

Let me try.  Here is what a scene between Angel and Andrew from the Just Call Me Angel series might look like if Andrew was adorned with a bushy beard.

He slid his hand around her waist and pulled her close.  She could feel his wanting and mirrored his desire.  As his lips enclosed on hers, his scraggily beard tore at her flesh, leaving red, brazen marks on her cheekbones.  She could only imagine what it would do to other parts of her body.

 

Nope...the beard is definitely a scene-killer for me.   

Rule of thumb:  Partial facial hair that is well-kept is hot...but the bushy Grizzly Adams look is NOT.  ~