How to be a Presentation God: Build, Design, and Deliver Presentations that Dominate!

12.1. Facial Hair (Men and Women) and Other "Shaveables"

12.1.1. Facial Hair (Men and Women) and Other "Shaveables"

Hairy faces and bodies need not be scorned. They merely reflect one's intimate connection with personal ancestry, an admirable quality that indicates solid roots.

But hair—be it on the head or elsewhere—is an odd material that, like acacia thorns, tends to be messy in its most unaffected state. Like any natural material, it holds oils, which in turn hold other particulates like dirt and cheese puff residue. Being relatively lightweight, hair does not always submit to the governance of gravity and has a tendency to come untethered. At best, this is distracting. At worst, it is proof that the wild-haired individual is very, very distant from the person who invented Barbasol.

In the 1800s, a full beard was distinguished in even the highest societies; today, the race to manufacture the first 10-blade safety razor makes the race to Mars look like child's play. Untrimmed beards are for mountain men and cannibals. It may be your thing, a trademark of sorts; however, as a general rule, we're shooting for neatly trimmed beards or clean-shaven visages. Anything in between is no-man's-land, so if you want facial hair at all, you'll need to plan ahead by starting a week or more in advance.

To the womenfolk out there, I'm sorry to say that facial hair just won't do. I feel bad saying it because, in a perfect world, we'd all be free to be you and me. But until society progresses ...