The comeback of the beard is quite recent. One study, according to Vox, shows that while beards were totally chill in the 1800s, the 20th century largely saw them chopped to bits by razor blades. Culture trickles upward, so it's no wonder that even as beards make their mighty return to hipster bars and corporate boardrooms alike, it's taken a while for politicians to be brave enough to sport them.
Stereotypes play a role in this. As the BBC points out, the U.S. political scene has traditionally associated facial hair with defeat, as seen when Al Gore's 2001 whiskers were dubbed an "exile beard." A 2015 study, according to Business Insider, showed participants pictures of politicians with and without facial hair. These people reported that beards made the politicians look more masculine and competent, but they also felt like the bearded politicians had less empathy — or, even worse, were more likely to be sexist. Now, obviously, this stereotyping is way off. There are many bearded feminist men out there, and plenty of clean-shaven misogynists. Nonetheless, politicians are very image-conscious people.
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