Pipes and Beards

A few months ago, a question on a page I follow on FaceBook asked why do a lot of pipe smokers have beards? There were various answers and conversations bantered about. I noticed that a good part of the members of the local pipe club I am active with, have beards or some sort of facial hair.

I have been thinking about this and decided to express my own reasoning.

A beard will pick up scents from the environment, mine does all the time, but I don't go smelling it looking for any lingering aroma from smoking my pipe (that is just weird in my opinion). In fact I wash my beard daily (sometimes more than that) so that it does not have any residual odors, aside from the fragrance of my Castile soap.

Beards are associated with manliness and I guess pipe smoking is too. So I guess smoking a pipe and having facial hair is an increased sign of pure manhood in some odd equation. But again, I do not have or do either to be more of a man.

Beards and pipes are on a resurgence with the 'hipster' movement, but then again, I do not consider myself a 'hipster.' There is the Tolkienians (spelling?) and the wizard thing, but still not my thing. The swarthy sea captain would be the next stereotype, maybe an distant imagine for me, but I don't own a boat (but it is in my Irish roots).

I guess the reasoning that fits closest to me would be the intellectual (psuedo or not) connection. You know, the bearded professor type that smokes a pipe. When asked a question, it is relaxing to take a sip from the pipe, clench it in your teeth, and lightly stroke the beard before answering. Usually nothing profound because I am not that good, but at least I can pretend it is going to be a worthy thought out response.

So, why do others have a beard and enjoy a pipe at the same time? I don't know, why don't you ask them, I sure they will have an answer.