Listen up, women—it’s time for a heart-to-heart conversation: Men’s facial hair can sink or swim them when it comes to their looks. Sorry to be so blunt, but these are just facts. Certain styles, like the creepy thin ‘stache that my fav frontman of The 1975 is currently sporting for some reason (Matty Healy, please shave the porn ‘stache), are generally universally unappealing, while others, such as beards, are pretty much considered more attractive. Ok, it’s downright hot in some cases.
Wherever you land on the facial hair spectrum, most women have a clear preference when it comes to a man’s scruff or stubble.
What the Heck is Shaveducking?
“Shaveducking” is the latest in a slew of the trending dating terms going around online, particularly on dating apps, and it’s all about facial hair. Basically, facial hair can really alter a man’s appearance, enhancing his facial structure.
However, the dilemma we women face is not knowing what lurks on a man’s face beneath that beard. Shaveducking refers to the suspicion that your attraction might be more towards his facial hair than his actual face, or it might mean that some men use beards to camouflage their faces and bamboozle us with their bristles.
Below are telltale signs that you might be “shaveducking” in your romantic relationships or overly concerned—maybe even obsessed—about a man’s beard:
You predominantly prefer men with facial hair, often choosing them based on this trait alone. If you’re primarily attracted to beards, it’s important to acknowledge this preference—own it, girl, you’re a shaveducker!
The thought of a man changing his facial hair style terrifies you to your core, even making you question your attraction to him. This is a sign that you are bewitched by the bewhiskered, and it is playing too much of a role in his appeal.
If the man you’re dating admits he’s not confident about his facial structure and uses facial hair as a cover, it’s def a conscious choice to maintain his beard. But you don’t have to freak out about him going clean-shaven.
Whenever he contemplates shaving, you strongly oppose it. This is a key aspect of shaveducking, where you go to extreme lengths to make sure the beard stays right where it is.
You often compliment his shagginess, subtly (or not so subtly) *wink wink nudge nudging* that you prefer him not to shave. This is a straight-up tactic to make sure he keeps his current look.
The very thought of him taking a razor to his facial hair causes you anxiety and night sweats, mainly because it could alter or disappear your physical attraction or intimacy toward him. If so, you are guilty of the shaveducking crime.
If you wouldn’t recognize him if he passed you on the street without his beard, it’s a sign that the beard is a huge part of your perception of him.
You get the ick for non-bearded men. Feeling unattracted to clean-shaven men is a pretty sure sign of shaveducking.
You’ve said, out loud, not just in your inner monologue or to your therapist, things like, “If you shave, we are gonna have issues,” which means that facial hair is a huge factor in your attraction.
You have said to him, possibly even begged or thrown a tantrum, that you don’t ever want him to get rid of his facial hair. Look, we are all about open and honest communication, and we respect this approach. You don’t have to be shady or cruel about your shaveducking. At the end of the day, it’s a preference—which we all have, whether you admit it or not—and you don’t have to sugarcoat it!
Ultimately, facial hair shouldn’t be a major concern in romantic relationships. If it is, there might be, um, some deeper issues you need to address at some point in your dating future.
Takeaways
When it comes to shaveducking, it’s not just a female issue, no sir! A lot of men use beards to mask or cover up what they consider to be more “delicate” features, such as a weak chin or jawline.
And while beauty is only skin deep, seeing a man’s actual face after months can be super startling if you’ve only gazed upon him in his bearded glory, and you might find your attraction changes. To avoid this, you could request to see a clean-shaven pic early on in the relationship. Who knows, you might be pleasantly surprised by his hidden features, like a left cheek dimple you had no idea existed. And you may be able to look beyond the beard and ditch your shaveducking side.
