The majority of men seem quite so into fashion as their female counterparts. While those in the male modelling world might be more interested than others, we’d suggest that it’s likely due to the lack of choice. Men get to choose the colour of the shirt you’re wearing to that wedding, rather than the colour, cut, fabric and style like women do. Women can wear smart trousers or a skirt and top, a jumpsuit or a dress, and men will find themselves wearing a suit to any formal occasion at all. Women can express themselves much more through their clothing choices than men can. Hair then, tends to be the easiest method of self-expression. You’ve obviously got the hair on your head to deal with, but then there’s also beards, moustaches, sideburns and more. And then after the cut itself you can consider a bit of styling. Complicated!

In recent years we’ve seen a huge rise in the popularity of facial hair. We’re not talking a spot of stubble, this is the trend of the full beard. It’s been seen on everyone from George Clooney to Jeremy Paxman, and that chap who works at the coffee shop down the road. We guarantee that at least one of your friends has at least had a go at growing one, and maybe you’re even sporting your own. If you are a bearded fellow, you’ll know that growing an impressive beard takes more effort than you might think. And it’s not something everyone can achieve.

But here’s the rub male modelling chaps: we’re reaching ‘peak beard’. It means that those of you with facial hair are now in a majority, which means clean shaven fellas have become less common, and therefore more desirable. There’s been a scientific study to prove it and everything.

Here’s how it works. There’s often trends in style, and the rarer options are the more popular ones. So while Brad Pitt might have been one of the first high profile faces covered in hair, but he certainly wasn’t the last. As more and more men grew their facial hair, it becomes less of a rarity to see men with a full beard. And so it’s not as attractive.
If you’re anything like us, you probably don’t base your facial hair decision on what is trendy and what isn’t. You probably just style yourself how you feel most happy and most confident. You probably know what suits you best, and that won’t always be what’s in style. Thankfully though, if every else does jump on the ‘peak beard’ band wagon and revert to the clean shaven look, you’ll be back in the minority of truly bearded folk in no time at all.

If you’re working in male modelling with and agency like Models Direct or Talent Management and can grow a beard. The more diverse your look, the more work you’re likely to find. A simple beard can completely change the look of a face, and simple stubble can make a young man look more mature.

So with the new trends in facial hair changing all the time based on how the scales tip, are you on the side of fashion or the side of self-expression? We very much doubt that any male models out there will have grown their beards just because it was the in thing, rather they might have done it for a specific shoot, or just because that’s how they prefer to look. Do you grow your facial hair or keep it in check? Are you one of a crowd or do you use your beard to make you stand out?