For the past few months, Ben Affleck‘s beard had taken on a life of its own. It’s been the subject of many a celebrity weekly’s caption and even scored its own Twitter handle. But days after the actor/director/producer’s monumental Best Picture Academy Award win for Argo, Affleck stepped out in LA on March 1, minus the full beard (but with a curiously gray 5 o’clock shadow).
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The 40-year-old star, who’s struggled to be taken seriously in Hollywood after disasters like Gigli and Daredevil, has managed to rewrite his career as a successful, serious, award-winning filmmaker. And let’s give credit where credit’s due, people: the beard.
In a study from Northumbria University, researchers discovered that guys who rock facial hair are seen as more aggressive than their clean-shaven counterparts. Study co-author Paul Vasey, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Lethbridge in Canada, says that beards might benefit men in professions requiring a more assertive personality, like sales.
Or the film business perhaps? Daniel Day Lewis had a beard in Lincoln. Oscar winner. Christoph Waltz had a beard in Django Unchained. Oscar winner. All I’ve got to say is: Leonardo DiCaprio, don’t stop at the goatee next year.
While you ponder whether Ben looks better with the beard or without (we say with), chew on these photos of stars who needed a straight razor and a hot towel. Badly.
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[Photo Credit: Wenn]
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