Men Protest Economy With 'Recession Beards'

Some newly unemployed men are willing to take it on the chin—literally. The “recession beard” has emerged as the new act of “playful rebellion” against being a “corporate slave,” Esquire’s grooming editor—who also works for Norelco—tells Advertising Age. Despite the trend, the industry is sitting pretty, with Norelco seeing a 24% jump in sales of grooming products.

Men “desire to be a little more natural and casual,” says the Esquire editor. The chin-sweater trend could be the peak of a decade-long face-fuzz sea change; the logical next step would be the end of the stubble trend. “Let's face it,” said one industry rep, “the guy who's clean-shaven and showered has a better chance of getting the job than the scruffy, grungy guy.”
(More beard stories.)