Geoffrey W.

Bearded since: 1997. I am an experimental beard grower.

Comments:
Why did I grow my beard? Because I can. I've always felt more comfortable with a beard. It's part of my identity. It's something I take pride in. I've been able to grow a full beard since I was sixteen. My adoptive father has had a beard for the last thirty years and when I met my birth father, he had a full beard. Other bearded men that have inspired me include Jerry Garcia and Commander William T. Riker.

How do I feel about my beard? It's kind of like Batman, where my beard is my true self and my clean shaven face is the mask. I've been in bands for over twenty years now and I haven't been onstage without any facial hair at all since 2007. Three years ago I shaved clean just to remind myself. When my wife saw it she told me I was never allowed to do that again. Last summer my beard was long enough that you couldn't tell that I was wearing a bow tie at my brother's wedding.