PM Modi's crisis beard: Scared of barber or sending out a message?

In late March when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared on television screens beseeching citizens to follow lockdown rules to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus infection he sported the usual grey wellgroomed beard Last month during a televised address where he asked fellow Indians to fight COVID19 fatigue the stubble had grown into a long beard curling at the fringes Sure enough Twitter went into a tizzy with memes and GIFs in reaction to the PMs quarantine beard While some compared him to professor Albus Dumbledore from the Potter series others dubbed him plain badassJack Patrick DorseyThere seems to be a pattern observers say Jack Patrick Dorsey technology entrepreneur and cofounder and CEO of Twitter created a similar stir recently while he faced a Senate panel over a censorship matter He was compared to the infamous Russian mystic Rasputin and even Tom Hanks character in CastawayWhile the pandemic may seem reason enough for men to socially distance themselves from their razors theres more to facial fuzz say experts In his 2017 book Of Beards and Men The Revealing History of Facial Hair Christopher OldstoneMoore argues that todays bristled resurgence is linked to a centurieslong cycle of changing ideals of masculinity The history of men is literally written on their faces writes the Ohiobased senior lecturer at Wright University His interest in the subject was born when he was teaching European history 20 years ago I was looking into aspects of social history that might interest my students and discovered that there was no historical scholarship on facial hair he tells Midday in an email interviewI realised that in recent years there has been a great deal of thought and study of gender and body in history and now would be a good time to reconsider the question of facial hairOne of his key arguments is that every society in history has established an authoritative style which indicates a mans adherence to the standards of masculinity for his time and place If that is shaving as it usually was in Western European history the beard could serve as a protest alternative such as in the 1830s or the 1960s or with hipsters of the early 21st century The authoritative standard will occasionally shift when there is a major change in the way masculinity is defined For example beards became normative in 16th century Europe when Renaissance society emphasised a more worldly and natural form of manliness The same happened in the late 19th century According to him beards are more common today as contemporary society rethinks masculinityAl GoreInterestingly the beard has also been associated with coping mechanisms US website Vox coined the phrase crisis beard to define the moment when a man forgoes shaving during a crisis so that others around him know that he is fully engaged in resolving it Instances that support the argument are plenty After his defeat in the presidential campaign in 2001 Al Gore reappeared with a full grey beard flailing red flags about climate change Conan OBrien too ditched his beard after a short and disastrous stint with The Tonight Show Closer home former Jammu and Kashmirs CM and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah had decided not to shave until he is released from detention He was put under house arrest by the state administration in September last year after the Central government revoked Article 370 of the ConstitutionProtest or countercultures can adopt facial hair to distinguish themselves from the mainstream thinks Moore The most shortterm phenomenon is what I call the quest beard also described as a crisis beard This is when the basic standards do not change but men change their style according to special time He calls it quest beard because it is often associated with achieving a goal A sports team might grow beards in pursuit of a title until the quest is over A COVID beard is to endure the struggle and challenges of the pandemic The idea is that the beard will be gone when the crisis is over It works well because beards are typically associated with toughness and natural strengthNot everybody is willing to wield the razor on achieving their goal though Mumbaibased barber Darshan Yewalekar who styles actor Ranveer Singh has been Instagramming his transformation from a cleanshaven man to one with a chestlength beard I was doing well professionally but between 2009 and 2012 my career nosedived he remembers Driven to find his ikigai Yewalekar started digging into the history of barbering and travelled to Europe and London to understand the science behind hair growth Sometimes its more than just style and can also be a sociological identifier For instance men in certain ultraorthodox Muslim sects often keep their upper lip cleanshaven Their beards cannot be more than the size of their wrist when they hold it He says in Afghan culture beard checks are conducted by holding a muslin cloth under the beard If the bristles penetrate the cloth it means youve cut the beardDarshan Yewalekar Owns a barbershop in Bandra and is actor Ranveer Singhs stylist My waistlength beard inspires confidence among customers They feel they can trust me with their beardFascinated by what he learnt Yewalekar began to experiment with facial hair There were phases when I was mistaken for a homeless man but I kept at it he laughs Today he is a mascot for his barbershop in Bandra and has a beard that nearly reaches his waist He believes his look inspires confidence in his clients Its almost like seeing a gym instructor with a six pack You get the impression that he knows his shit In this case I do Its not uncommon for people to come up to him and admire the length ask him for tips He even gets the occasional may I touch it requestRaamesh Gowri RaghavanStudies suggest that the beard evolved through a complex process of sexual selection According to evolutionary biology traits evolve in different species depending on how the opposite sex sees them says Raamesh Gowri Raghavan researcher at INSTUCEN Trust studying historical anthropology archaeology and history of art To support the argument Raghavan gives us the example of a peacocks extravagant tail fan that has no proven benefit for its physical survival In fact its more of a hindrance It doesnt help him fly or escape predators The messaging is that a male who is able to spend so much energy on growing the tail and still be alive is sure to be robust and healthy for the pea hen to mate In humans therefore the logic is that a man with bountiful facial hair is strong and dependable For generations the beard has signified age and experience and therefore helps project a sense of authority The longer your beard the older you were When a man is clean shaven hes seen as young and inexperienced Beards project wisdom explains RaghavanJustin TrudeauMoore points to Canadian PM Justin Trudeaus new look suggesting that he grew a beard when he was hit by a scandal and was under heavy political pressure It was meant to show that he was tough and would endure The Canadians I talked to thought that made senseBony SasidharanBiker and travel blogger Rohith Subramaniam says that his anecdotal research has proven that it is not in everyones DNA to grow a beard Six years ago he got 85 people and six brands including a beard oil brand to fund his travels across India I call it the beard privilege Many men from China Thailand Japan and the surrounding Asian countries seem to have weaker growth of facial hair They envy men with facial fuzz A beard essentially inspires different emotions in different cultures Bony Sasidharan national key accounts manager at Schwarzkopf Professional recalls a trip to Shanghai for a hairdressing award I was the only one with a long beard People were coming up to me and taking pictures in groups I felt like a celebrity he laughs The most challenging situation if you sport facial hair though is securing a clearance at the immigration counter while travelling to an international destination I get a lot more questions compared to other passengersSahil Arora Founder Method Art Space Stopped shaving when he quit his corporate job in 2009Creative fashion and artfocused fields are all about the scruffy look says gallerist Sahil Arora gallerist and founder of Method Art Space He has had a beard for 11 years and stopped shaving when he quit his corporate job in 2009 It was a way of breaking free from the must haves and diktat he tells us I always found shaving a colossal waste of my time so when it wasnt required I stopped doing itSiddharth Sirohi designer and founder of Baro DesignSiddharth Sirohi designer and founder of the furniture design studio Baro Design says beards add a sense of gravity You get taken more seriously especially if its not too manicured A thick natural beard is a nonvain way of vanity But maintaining it is anything but easy At times your skin itches like hell You often get confused whether to shampoo or soap it It also becomes a fidget toy Eventually though you make peace withAditya Rajadhyaksha Cofounder Playydate and director at Quest Consolidated Services Pvt Ltd Has to maintain a clean shave most days because work demands itIn the corporate world change is brewing slow Aditya Rajadhyaksha is the cofounder of Playydate an online marketplace for kids skillbased classes and director at Quest Consolidated Services Pvt Ltd a marketing and trading organisation He says its tricky negotiating a beard in his profession On most days he has to maintain a clean shave because work demands it When I choose to keep a beard the reactions range from are you in creative mode or lazy or having a hard day at work or too much pressure While I feel a clean shave makes me feel more confident and approachable theres no reason why cant I be at the top of my game and with a beard That said we are now slowly moving towards a world where beards are becoming more acceptable in both formal and informal business settings Its being seen as an assertion of choice Moore says shaving is usually understood as adherence to codes of proper manhood and to discipline in generalChristopher OldstoneMooreBody hair rules incidentally are less forgiving when it comes to women Manisha Lakhe poet film critic and the founder of Caferatimdashan online writers forum which hosts Mumbais oldest open mic event says women were brought up to be hairless Hair has always dictated ideas about manliness and beauty Women have had to pluck wax and go through a lot of pain to look desirable and feminine Ancient Greeks thought women who could sit on their hair were the most beautiful Basically long hair meant good health She believes social media has only made matters worse Memes about Julia Roberts armpits and Anil Kapoors chest hair tickle the Internet Perhaps its time we also ask why women across the world who are homebound are highfiving each other Is it because they have ditched their brasThe unifier on InstagramUttarakhandborn graphic designer Kishor Singh Bisht started an Instagram page called the Beard Club India to build a community The account has over 8k followers and doubles up as a platform for brands to scout for bearded talent My objective is to make the beard a culture rather than a passing fad We have people from urban and rural pockets and across communities and cultures who contribute to the page At a time when there are so many divisive forces at work this simple feature is helping bring us together he saysBrands are riding the waveAccording to reports the male grooming market in India was valued at R14050 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach R31982 billion by 2024 The potential inspired Ahmedabadbased Aakash Goswami who runs a real estate business to start Whiskers a luxury grooming product line for men with partner Rannvijay Singha Currently they have over 20 products in their portfolio The trend has movedfrom NoShaveNovember Challenge to no shave all year And because its not easy to grow and be itchy and patchy beard oils and moisturisers are seen as essentials He says the beard over time becomes a part of the wearers identity We tend to think that women play with their hair But bearded men like doing it too Stroking the fuzz becomes secondnature If we were on a video call Im sure youd ask me to stop playing with itKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news