A history of beards in the workplace

Excerpt

BBC presenter Jeremy Paxman has prompted much debate on social media with his recent decision to dodge the shaving kit. But why do people feel so strongly about beards?

“Facial hair for the past century has been thought to reflect a suspicious streak of individuality and defiance,” says Christopher Oldstone-Moore, a history lecturer at Ohio’s Wright State University.

The author of “The Beard Movement in Victorian Britain” argues that shaving has been “the norm” since the 17th Century.

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