This Hipster Dude Trend Is Officially Back, Baby

In August, Prince William debuted a new look and the internet just couldn’t’t handle it: Facial hair…and lots of it. Since then, his royal following has been fixated on his scruff —and it had me wondering: After years of celebs like Timothee Chalamet and Jeremy Allen White rocking a baby-face, is the clean shaven look no more? Are we really ready to go back to a 2006-era lumber jack vibe?

Here’s a little refresher: Back in the early aughts, beards, alongside skinny jeans and trucker hats, were an easy marker of cool, bad-boy guys. Then, in the second half of the 2010s, the tables turned, with men widening their pants, tossing off their tortoise shell glasses and, yes, picking up a razor. That is, until this fall, when a number of men decided to give the beard a second chance. Think: Chris Pine rocking a full beard (and being coined ' surf daddy ’) or Oscar Issac getting all burly for his role in Dune .

Texas-based salon owner Cuyler Engram firmly thinks it’s a power move in 2024. “Short, well-groomed beards are trending as a more modern and professional look,” he shares. “This trend can be attributed to several factors, including a desire for a more rugged and masculine appearance, a growing appreciation for facial hair as a form of self-expression and a broader cultural shift towards embracing natural beauty.”

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The perception of growing out your beard is also changing. Whether you care about the royals or not, Prince William sporting a scruffy beard is a big deal. After all, it’s always been protocol to rock a beard only if you’re ‘off-duty’ or on a break from official engagements; even Prince Harry had to beg Queen Elizabeth to keep his beard for his wedding. And despite a ton of studies pointing to facial hair being viewed as dominant and highly attractive , it’s historically been seen as untidy and alternative—especially when you add a handlebar mustache and man bun to the mix. In other words, it’s kind of major that JD Vance, if elected, would be the first vice president to sport facial hair in the White House in over 100 years.

So what’s the difference between today’s beards and the hipster ones of yore? Well, a quick Google suggests that, these days, most men are looking to keep them neatly trimmed; the idea is to sculpt the jawline and provide a smoother transition up the sideburns. In other words, less long, scraggly Viking, more shorter, fuller poet, a la Prince William, LeBron James or Ryan Gosling.

This growing trend also comes just before ‘No Shave November’ , i.e.; a great time to embrace fuller looks for the season. So, whether you’re down for facial hair or not (I also hear mustaches are coming back?!), you can’t deny it’s kicking clean-shaven to the curb. It may be a reach, but like one royal fan commented in a recent Prince William Instagram post : "The beard is bearding."

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