Men Beards & Bracelets
I have spotted a trend which has been gaining momentum in the UK and Europe and most possibly elsewhere-perhaps anyone in the States would like to comment?
I'm talking about the full beard, not just a bit of stubble or a goatee but a full on bird nesting half a face covering beard which , depending on the owner of said beard, looks good or...perhaps not.
Rocksey has been cultivating this look now for several months. The beard started off with a week off and a penchant for laziness, late mornings, no place to be or anything pressing to do. The fledgling beard looked like the dog had licked his face at first and Rocksey walked about the house in sweats, a wife beater and one hand constantly rubbing his chin as if there was a constant itch within his lower jaw. Gradually the week long shaving sabbatical became a months growth, the itchiness became less so, the fledgling stubble began to take shape, gain colour, strength and became more or less a permanent feature.
Three months into the beard, I find I have a new husband, one who, along with this masculine trait of beard growing has, become a different man. No this may be my imagination or perhaps a bit of a fantasy but Rocksey genuinely suddenly looks wildly good in a plaid shirt, boot cut faded jeans and tan cowboy boots. He was out planting trees in our new nut orchard earlier, the chickens clucking round his feet whilst he dug, the cat stretched out on the chicken coop roof enjoying the winter sunshine, sleeves rolled up, bracelets glinting in the sun ( more of this later) when he stopped what he was he was doing and looked straight towards the house rubbing his face absently where I was in the kitchen making tea. Now, we have been married some time now but the sight of Rocksey this morning genuinely took my breath away, that beard has become my very favourite thing in the world.
The second favourite thing along with the beard is the silver and leather bracelets that adorn one wrist. Now this has been a thing for a long time now with most men rocking some sort of bracelet. Rocksey started off with leather thongs tied round his wrist like a surfer whilst in Spain a few summers ago and has progressed gradually with a few skull and stud charms on a Pandora bracelet or two until the discovery of Tribal Hollywood who make the most stunning mens jewellery. Packages arrive and the contents paraded proudly glinting in the sunshine, skulls heads, silver stars and a whole host of amber and coral beads interspersed with barbs of silver, bullet heads and geometric shaped charms.
Now my love for men with tattoos in largely documented, but coupled with the beard and bracelets this takes my love of this new masculinity to a whole new level - who would have thought it all those years ago when Rocksey rocked a far more feminine look ( lets not go there with the '80s curly waist length hair, guy liner and the white leather fringed jacket), at 54 he would be wowing me with this far more wholesome Prairie look.
We have been invited to a far more upmarket 'black tie' do next weekend. Now I know the bracelets look good peaking out from the cuffs of a shirt I am hoping the beard will remain as I am dying to see how good this is going to look outside of our usual farmyard environment.
