I've noticed the general lack of facial hair here in Zurich (beyond a 2-3 day shadow). Is it uncommon for men to wear beards in Switzerland? I'm not referring to the mountain men I saw at the cow festival I went to a week ago, but the average urban Swiss.

Do most businesses prefer clean-shaven men? Is it unspoken, or is it clearly defined as part of a dress code?

Isn't it the same world-wide - just like socks and sandals??

Businesses prefer clean-shaven men.
No visible tattoos, beards or earrings.
Smart suit and elegant tie.

What, compulsory in Germany and illegal everywhere else?

Sorry Adrian, I had to fix this...

Not many beards, but an awful lot of moustaches.

Sorry Adrian and Nil, I just had to fix that.

Hey, what about me?

I was always certain that you were a dude, then after a certain thread I was like, "oh- CG is chick... ok" and now I'm just very confused.

Interesting. What thread was that?

Proud owner of a luscious, urban, Züri-beard right here! And who says they are not fashionable??? Nothing wrong with NOT wanting to look like one of them clean-shaven UBS bankers!

The UTI thread.

Moustaches are easier to "maintain". I had a good colleague who was manager of a company with 150 employees in Oerlikon and his beard never caused any problems, neither with HQ in Paris nor with customers.

Moustaches had a big reawakening in the late 1960ies, not least under the influence of King Hussein bin Talal who often was enroute in Europe

Which is kind of ironic these days isn't it, since their reason for this is that people don't trust a beard.

I've had a beard to a greater or lesser degree pretty much all of the time since the early '80's --- but I've come to accept that not everyone (guy) can be as awesome as me.

Who?

Clean shaven is always an option. It requires frequent care to avoid razor rash and great love and attention.

That applies to the face as well.

Name is Hussein, QTH is Amman...

21.11.06
"Erst wollte ich es nicht glauben, als er auf meinen CQ-Ruf zurückkam - dann konnte ich nur noch stottern. Wie rede ich ihn denn jetzt an?, durchfuhr es mich - einfach 'OM Hussein' oder doch lieber 'Your Royal Highness'? "So oder so ähnlich mögen jene erzählen, die eine unerwartete Ätherwellen-Begegnung mit Jordaniens König Hussein I. hatten. (Funkamateur JY1 ) .

translation: " I first could not believe it when he replied to my CQ-call, and then could only stutter. How to address the man ? Just "OM Hussein" or rather "Your Royal Highness" ? " Such are the memories of the many people who had unexpected encounter over the wireless waves with Jordan's King Hussein I (wireless amateur JY1)

Sorry I'm late, and it's OT to boot.

As for UTI, you might know that during certain activities occurring between female and male humans the male urethra plays a very important, whereas the female one is just on stand-by and not directly involved at all. Since the urethra is one of the parts most affected by UTI, it's clear that an infected male is very likely to transfer his bugs into (!) the woman.

The other way round is much rarer. In addition to that, the female urethra, for reasons not to be dicussed here, is much shorter than the male one, providing an easier way for bacteria to reach the bladder and cause havoc.

What was the topic of this thread? Er, beards? Ok. Thank you for your attention.

__________________

"This is AMAZING! I have the exact amount of money Joe Biden has cost us playing golf in my sweatpants pocket!" — Kona Lowell

I've just been curious, because having a well-groomed (i.e. no Paul Bunyan or Santa Claus type beards) beard in the U.S. was making somewhat of a comeback. I am 32, but I routinely encounter people that assume I am much younger (5-7 years on average) because I have a baby face. Its a blessing...except when you're trying to present the appearance of being mature and experienced. Many people can't seem to make the intellectual differentiation between what I say and how youthful I may look.

I had a beard several years ago. My wife loved it, I loved it. I believe people treated me as more mature and with more respect when I had it. Since coming to CH, I have regrown my beard (doesn't take long), and I am now curious if it is hurting my professional chances?