Can you see your beard?

Layla Nahar

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I have a character who 'dreams' he's a younger man - I have him look down and notice that his beard is red - then it occurred to me - I can't see my chin, and if I look down, my chin moves down too. But I can see my nose (kind of).

So, if you have or have had a beard, can you (ever) see it?
 

VeryBigBeard

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Finally, a question I can answer with some degree of expertise!

Yes. Yes, you can.

If the beard is large enough.

Depends on how you style it, too. If I keep the beard more closely trimmed, if it's summer, for instance, then I can't see it.

ETA: My user title is somewhat out-of-date again. Haven't had stubble since about March.
 
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Layla Nahar

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^Yes! Good - so I can keep that line - because it helps a lot - without people going - now hold on a second there....


Thank You -
 

Layla Nahar

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Oh - VeryBigBeard -

I missed your answer. I wondered if it depended on the style, length, how silky/bushy a person's hair is...

Expert Answers Here! thank you :D
 

Bufty

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Oh - VeryBigBeard -

I missed your answer. I wondered if it depended on the style, length, how silky/bushy a person's hair is...

Expert Answers Here! thank you :D

Correct. It does depend.

Make a fist and stick your chin into it. Then wiggle your fist back and forwards. It's more an awareness than a clear view. And to detect the growing color without using a mirror I think it would have to be growing for at least a month - probably more.
 
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GregFH

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It very much depends on how long your beard is. I keep mine trimmed fairly short, and my cheeks are shaved, so I can't see my beard, but it's easy to see my moustache by rolling up my upper lip. Anybody with a beard, tho, ends up spending time with a mirror since it needs care. And the color is, of course, very obvious in a mirror.
 

Layla Nahar

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Thanks again for the answers :) - clever suggestion, too, Bufty.
 

Mark HJ

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Short answer - no. I get a faint hint of the edges in my peripheral vision, but couldn't tell you the colour. Even pushing the beard out so that I can see it, it's still mostly peripheral vision with very limited colour perception.

The beard in question...
beard.jpg
 

Layla Nahar

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Oh my. I'm thinking the poll results are swinging the other way...

hmm.
I had been thinking it was the best way to indicate that the character was now about 30 years younger...

Ok - I just took a dinner napkin (which is red!), folded it and held it to my chin so the end reached my collarbones and looked down at my legs - that's what the character does - and I can see the napkin...

So, maybe if I change the order of operations - he looks down at his legs first (he's wearing a kilt and bare legs instead of a jumpsuit) that would change the angle of his beard in relationship to his eyes, and it people won't go - 'no - you can't see your beard...' ? (Also, he's expecting his beard to be white, so the red color would catch his attention?)
 

VeryBigBeard

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The two more operative questions would be:

-when did he last shave?
-what kind of beard is it?

If this is a flashback to Younger Self, you probably have quite a bit of leeway with those answers as an author.

He could see the beard if he's reasonably unshaven. He might feel it first, though, as it does feel quite different if he didn't have a beard pre-flashback, of if his pre-flashback beard was neater and now he has hair covering more than half his face.

How long it takes for a beard to get unkempt without shaving depends on the man, but for a 30-year-old it wouldn't necessarily take many days of not shaving.

If the beard is long and straight, it's easy to see. So too if it's large and bushy. If it's clean-cut and styled, less likely.

Compare Snow and the Gamemaker in the Hunger Games movies: one of those men can see his beard and the other has put a lot of effort into it.
 

Roxxsmom

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I asked my husband, who has a trimmed goatee at the moment, and he says he doen't see or notice it unless he looks in a mirror. He pointed out that this not seeing/noticing thing is why guys often have things stuck in their beard without noticing. It probably depends on the size and shape of one's beard, though.
 

VeryBigBeard

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He pointed out that this not seeing/noticing thing is why guys often have things stuck in their beard without noticing. It probably depends on the size and shape of one's beard, though.

A legitimate issue, one of the great crises of our time.

Larger beards are like magnets for catching food and other things. Industriously-minded men can make use of this, by using an adequately-sized beard to hold things like pencils, a bookmark, or a peanut while one's hands are otherwise occupied.

Smaller beards tend not to be so bad for this, but it can still happen.

As DrDoc pointed out, you can still see a goatee, just depends on the length. I've had longer and shorter goatees in the past. If I start with a 1/4" or so, I'll usually be able to see it within 2-3 weeks. But everyone is different.
 

Layla Nahar

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<3

I love this place.

A peanut. Of course.

Well. I'm thinking that what I've written won't make a whole bunch of people go 'whoa, nope, wait a minute' - maybe some will... but I have a feeling it won't break the story ;)

Now, as to the other problems I'm having with it, sigh...
 

Mark HJ

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I asked my husband, who has a trimmed goatee at the moment, and he says he doen't see or notice it unless he looks in a mirror. He pointed out that this not seeing/noticing thing is why guys often have things stuck in their beard without noticing. It probably depends on the size and shape of one's beard, though.

A proper beard can help keep your shirt clean whilst eating yogurt.

As for seeing the colour - the spreading grey is invisible from my point of view. Mirrors are a devil, though.
 

Jason

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I see my beard every day - of course it takes either looking in a mirror or jutting out my jaw to intentionally see how much more gray it is with each passing day.
 

GeorgeK

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I can see my mustache without a mirror or any manipulation once it's more than about an inch long and the beard at about 2 inches. The color is easy to spot. My eye doctors says I have unusually good peripheral vision. Of course it's very easy to feel as soon as you scratch your chin. Don't need a mirror for that.
 

williemeikle

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See my avatar photo - that's what mine looks like ATM. I can't see it, although I can see my mustache, and tell that it's gray