The Chronicles of Being A Caveman

The Chronicles of Being A Caveman

Its Sunday and I’m watching this Bill Gates documentary thinking what should i blog about. After 12 mins into the documentary it hit me; guys should know the significance in keeping a well-maintained beard, especially for a man of color.

I have to be honest; I can be a bit of a caveman in the senses that I will go about 2-3 months without shaving or edging my beard. When I’m in my most focus mindset, I tend to care very little about outward appearance, and this has afforded me black stairs of women clutching their purses as if I pose a threat while ordering a venti mocha frappuccino at Starbucks.

I had a lady friend mention to me in the most polite manner, “so what’s up with the wild facial hair?” I typically don’t care about people’s options. However, over the last few weeks, I’ve been diving into financial literacy courses, and they all seem to mention that I’m my most valuable asset, which got me to thinking about reasons I’ve forced myself to have my caveman beard.

Having To Shave To Get A Job

Granted, I’m a freelancer and have been for nearly a decade. So the social stigma of having to be 100% clean cut I’ve challenged. However, through networking,, I was able to secure a short term contract doing some coding for a bank. Mindful, I was set to meet with the head of the internet division of the bank in 1 week. I had previously made the vocal commitment to my barber and my girlfriend, that I was never going to cut my facial hair again!

Okay, it’s one week before my meeting, I’m trimming my beard :/

I honestly didn’t have a real reason why I was doing this; I was making my declaration that I was sticking to the system. This sounded like a great idea until I was given the option to bill myself. The bank asked me how much did I want to make after my 3 hours of contract work. I charged them $800 and instantly realized I could bill doctors hours if I kept myself clean cut. It became clear to me that if I wanted to move up in the world, I had to play the game.

My Wild Facial Hair Intimidates Some White People

Being a black man in America comes with its many lists of challenges. The one thing pokes out in my memory, is the energy I get from white people. White women tend to be apprehensive when I’ve gone a few months UN-shaven facial hair. They don’t know how to take me until I open my mouth, and they hear I speak well. So I’ve found that I’m able to maintain my caveman beard if I kept it healthy and moisturized. I had to find common ground; that’s when I embraced beard care, I quickly started learning about how to style my facial hair with clear instructions I could follow. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions I would like to help.

 

One Comment

  • krim says:

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