Sorry, scruffies: Researchers fear we've reached 'peak beard'

IAN GAVAN/Getty Images

Sorry, scruffies: Researchers fear we've reached 'peak beard'
(Image credit: IAN GAVAN/Getty Images)

In what's likely tragic news to the people of Brooklyn and hipsters everywhere, researchers said that as facial hair becomes increasingly commonplace, the less people are likely to find it attractive. In other words, we're close to reaching "peak beard."

Researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia polled 1,600 people — a mix of straight males and bisexual and heterosexual women — and discovered that clean-shaven men were more attractive to them after they saw a series of photos featuring scruffy men. However, the same process also worked in reverse, leading researchers to hypothesize that when a trend becomes mainstream, it becomes less attractive.

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.