day no. 16,006: hair on the face is to men what hair on the head is to women

"I cultivate [my] beard not for the usual reasons of skin trouble or pain of shaving, nor for the secret purpose of covering a weak chin, but as pure unblushing decoration, much as a peacock finds pleasure in his tail.  And finally, in our time a beard is the one thing a woman cannot do better than a man, or if she can her success is assured only in a circus." -- John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley

A beard is to men what a uterus is to women. It is a distinctive. It is as inherently masculine as pregnancy is feminine.

“The beard signifies the courageous; the beard distinguishes the grown man, the earnest, the active, the vigorous. So that when we describe such, we say, 'He is a bearded man.'” -- St. Augustine

A bearded man is a man wearing his manhood for others to see. He is a man from top to bottom, front to back, and makes no effort to hide his mane.

"The beard is a masculine ornament, given to us by God not for any practical use, but for our dignity." -- St. Augustine

"For God... has adorned man, like the lions, with a beard, and endowed him, as an attribute of manhood, with a shaggy chest - a sign of strength and rule." -- St. Clement of Alexandria

Hair on the face is to men what hair on the head is to women. As long, full, and flowing locks are inherently feminine, a thick, rich, full beard is masculine.

"You cannot grow a beard in a moment of passion." -- G. K. Chesterton

No one can have a beard on a whim. It takes time. A beard is a sign of manhood in that boys are not able to grow them and grown up boys don't have the patience to wait for them or perseverance to maintain them upon arrival.

All that to say, the beard does not necessarily make the man, but no man would be made less manly by wearing one, which is why so many grown up boys decide not to shave... so that they might appear to be what they aren't, i.e. masculine. In American slang, a "beard" is a term used to describe a person who is used, knowingly or unknowingly, as a date, romantic partner, or spouse either to conceal one's sexual orientation. That is to say, all beards boast of manliness, though some conceal effeminacy.