There’s much more to rugged hipster beards than being ironically (un)attractive: They’re practical for storing everyday objects. On his viral “Will It Beard” Tumblr and Instagram accounts, Los Angeles-based art director Pierce Thiot, 27, posts images of himself with an array of household items between his fuzzy facial follicles.
Bearded man’s viewpoint
“Items that are a little bit long work well in the beard: spaghetti noodles, pencils, things like that. I did try and put in more fun objects, like little heart candies, but they didn’t want to stay in my beard for a long time.”
Inspiration
Thiot can thank his mom for encouraging him to make full use of his bushy bristles. “Over Christmas, my mother wanted her kids and grandkids to do a fun talent show. When it came to my turn, I shared my “talent” by seeing how many pencils – and a pair of paper scissors and screwdriver – I could fit into my beard. I can only imagine how proud she was.”
Hairy moments
Stuffing one’s beard with everyday items can get hairy, especially when those items are burning matches. “As I was putting in the lit matches into my beard, my wife Stacy [who took the photographs] sternly asked me, ‘What are you going to do if your hair catches on fire?’ I sarcastically replied, ‘I’m going to freak out!’ She wasn’t impressed.”
He flaunts his razors like his trophies
In one of his more amusing pictures, Thiot wears his beard well-stocked with shaving razors – an ironic style statement, perhaps. “My beard is like a barrier against the razor, its natural enemy. And the razors I wore like ornaments were almost in mockery of the grooming industry – it’s like a warrior wearing the teeth of his victims as a trophy.”
He wears a beard – we wear a smile
Aside from the caustic geezer attitude that can only come out from a rough fisherman’s beard, Thiot’s photo experiment is really about having fun and being quirky. “It’s something that supposed to make people smile. This is a simple and quite silly project that I hope makes people have a slightly happier day.”
