|
|
Article: One Thousand Beards: a Cultural History of Facial Hair. (Book review: stubble in mind: how has facial hair shaped history? An entertaining new book shaves out a few theories).(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine)
- Article date:
- March 5, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Regent Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair
* Allan Peterkin * Arsenal Pulp Press * $16.95
The Bible, you'll quickly find while reading through Allan Peterkin's facial history, One Thousand Beards, is obsessed with follicles. Job shaves his head to start his life fresh, David's envoys get a humiliating half-beard clip, and of course, in the showstopper, Samson gets an unwanted trim by the insatiable Delilah. In fact, it has been only in the last century that a beard or lack thereof hasn't been a veiled front for power, class, and subjugation. Of course, as many gay men--and some lesbians--will tell you, facial hair is just plain hot.
...