United States Presidents and Facial Hair

President Obama has publicly stated that he can’t grow facial hair. Many of his predecessors were clean-shaven, as well.

It has been almost 100 years since the office of President has been held by a man with facial hair. Of the 44 different presidents we have had, according to images of them only 12 have had some type of facial hair while in office. They are:

#6 John Quincy Adams (side burns) 1825-1829

#8 Martin Van Buren (side burns) 1837-1841

#12 Zachary Taylor (side burns) 1849-1850

#16 Abraham Lincoln (beard) 1861-1865

#18 Ulysses S. Grant (beard, mustache) 1869-1877

#19 Rutherford B. Hayes (beard, mustache) 1877-1881

#20 James A. Garfield (beard, mustache)1881

#21 Chester A. Arthur (mustache, side burns)1881-1885

#22; #24 Grover Cleveland (mustache) 1885-1889; 1893-1897

#23 Benjamin Harrison (beard, mustache) 1889-1893

#26 Theodore Roosevelt (mustache) 1901-1913

#27 William Taft (mustache) 1909-1913

Of the twelve presidents with facial hair, ten were Republican (Adams, Taylor, Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Harrison, Roosevelt and Taft) and two were Democrat (Van Buren and Cleveland). Two, Adams and Taylor, are listed under party names some may not be familiar with. John Quincy Adams and Zachary Taylor were members of the party known under various names such as Federalist, Democratic-Republican, or Whig party. This would be the Republican party of today.

Of the candidates currently tossed about as possible nominees in 2012, none have facial hair of any type. This is a shame. There is something to be said for a man with facial hair.

Sources:

US Presidents (images). Wikimedia Commons. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/US_Presidents

Republican Presidents of the United States. http://www.republicanpresidents.net/

Democrat US Presidents. Maps of World. http://www.mapsofworld.com/us-presidents/democrat-us-presidents.html

American President: An Online Reference Resource. John Quincy Adams. Muller Center of Public Affairs: University of Virginia. http://millercenter.org/president/jqadams

American President: An Online Reference Resource. Zachary Taylor. Muller Center of Public Affairs: University of Virginia. http://millercenter.org/president/taylor

Image Credit: George Bush Presidential Library/US Government. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Five_Presidents.jpg

November Brings Annual Movember Charity Event: Prostate Cancer Awareness

It’s that time of year-Movember! Movember is an international charity event to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is second only to skin cancer as the most common form of cancer in men in the USA. Their latest estimates (2010) are that “about 217,730 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and about 32,050 men will die of prostate cancer.”

To participate in Movember, males start with no mustache (if they have one, it must be shaved off before they can begin the challenge) and through the month they grow a mustache. Many causes have ribbons, but for Movember, the ribbon is the mustache grown by each participant, and what a beautiful ribbon it is!

Funds are raised by individuals, teams and for the cause in general. In 2009, more than $42 million (US dollar equivalent) was raised by participants world wide. Monies raised go to support two beneficiaries: the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Livestrong.

Official events and parties are posted on the official Movember website so participants can interact and help spread the word to the public. Prizes are awarded, primarily based on funds raised. However, one prize is awarded to the individual who creates the best Mo Space page.

For information about the USA Movember event, click here. International participants, please click here to select your region. Be sure to check out the News section for the rules and fun stuff such as an iPhone app to track your progress.

Participating in Movember? Share your story, Mo Page link and photo journal of your progress here. Good luck to all who participate.

The Greek Goddess of Men’s Facial Hair is a proud supporter of Movember.

Image Credit: Movember Foundation. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Movember_Foundation_Logo.JPG

What is a Face Rub/Face Rubbin'?

For those who see me use the terms, but are unfamiliar with them:

Q-What is a "face rubbin"?

A-When a gentleman with any type of facial hair (scruff/5 o'clock shadow included) gently rubs it on the facial cheek of a lady. A "neck rubbin" is the same concept, but is performed upon a lady's neck. This is more 'dangerous' and should only be indulged in with extreme caution as lips have a tendency to wander and perform other actions that close to a lovely lady's neck.