On this day forty-seven years ago, Broadway star cum half-decent superhero Hugh Jackman was introduced to the world. Since then, the guy’s seen his fair share of success (see: Golden Globes, Tonys), and while that might not be entirely due to the hair on his chin, it most certainly doesn’t hurt. From Wolverine’s legendary muttonchops, to Jean Valjean’s scraggly post-prison chin curtain, to that abomination on his face in the cinematic sinkhole that is Pan, it’s not uncommon for Jackman to sport a healthy dose of distinctive facial hair. Here, we break down a few of his choices and the lessons it’d be wise to glean from them.
1. A Clean-Shaven Face Will Invariably Make You Look Younger: Being swole doesn’t hurt either.
2. But Well-Crafted Stubble Is Ageless: And always handsome as hell.
3. Get a Signature Look: Though probably a good idea to choose something a little less divisive than the Wolverine-chop.
4. Steer Clear of Fine Lines: A beard’s supposed to be kind of feral, right? So the less it looks like you’ve tamed your face-mane, the better.
5. Grey Ain’t Nothing To Be Afraid Of: Feel free to embrace the salt and pepper, people. Age means experience, after all.
6. Goatees Are the Worst: Seriously, goatees make it look like you’ve just gone down on someone and emerged with their entire bush around your mouth. Not a great look.
7. A Black-Tie Beard Can Be Just as Powerful as a Clean-Shaven Face: With everything else about you at its cleanest, a full beard proves that you’re not a square.
8. Relax with The Clippers: Too much styling and you’ll end up in pirate territory.
9. Exhibit B: This. See what we mean?
