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A Pop-Up Beard Club

12/7/2012

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Last night, I had the pleasure of hosting local San Francisco filmmaker Laura J. Lukitsch for a special pop-up screening of her documentary Beard Club. It explores the social politics of facial hair. I recently reflected on my own beard thanks to this pop-up screening. And after last night's screening, I was thrilled to learn that I am not the only one who grew a beard out of sheer laziness and then found more significance in it as it grew.

It was also interesting to note how fashions and visions of good and evil have evolved over the years. Laura did an excellent job connecting the dots through culture and history the world over. I never knew that the handlebar mustache was appropriated by Brits from colonized India, and that it was a requirement for British soldiers to sport the stache.

This, to me, the power of good documentary storytelling: revelations of self in connection to others.

Laura is in the final push for her Indie-Go-Go campaign to get the final funding need to correct audio and color, as well as pay for the final image and song rights. $15 or more gets your beard in the movie's credits. DONATE TODAY!
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Of Beards and Politics and Films

12/4/2012

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Me and my beard.
I am thrilled to be hosting filmmaker Laura Lukitsch for a special pop-up screening of her documentary Beard Club on Thursday (12/6) at 7pm at Progressive Grounds Mission (2301 Bryant St, SF).

Laura used to live upstairs from me, and I have been following the behind-the-scenes development of her film for quite some time. In fact, I remember when she came back from India after conducting some interviews and filming. She was exhausted and inspired by her trip. It was a whirlwind of activity with little rest as all her waking moments were dedicated to the film.

As she spoke of the social politics and implications of facial hair, I started to also get excited. I hadn't thought about what having a beard really means. For me, growing a beard was a sheer act of laziness. I mean, I absolutely HATE shaving. So I let my facial hair grow naturally. Every now and again, I use a clippers and shave it down leaving behind a thick layer of stubble. Rarely, do I take a razor to my cheeks and chin.

Lately though, I have grown my beard long. It hasn't been trimmed since about July. I have to admit Laura's passion for beards definitely inspired me to grow mine. Sure, I have a ton of friends who have beards, and they all love them. But I never heard growing one's beard related to freedom of expression, of cultural legacies, of rebellion, of representations of masculinity. Maybe I had thought about it briefly before, but I had never thought about it critically.

For me, I love my long beard. I think it looks great on me, and I have a certain pride in growing it. It isn't just sheer laziness any more. In fact, I spend a good amount of time grooming it, more than I did when it was shorn shorter.

I also see it as representative of my own growth. It keeps track of time's passage in a very physical way. With each new month, I see it grow a few inches, and I know I am not the same person I was months ago. And not just that I am not the same person, but that I carry that person still with me. He is trapped in my beard. A gentle tug, and I can unlock a memory.

It also distinguishes me from my family. No one in my familial history had or has a beard. Or at least no one that I can remember. Everyone in my extended family cannot grow facial hair. It is sparse and thin. As an out queer (the only one I know if in my extended family) my beard is a physical manifestation of that difference. It marks me.

Now, I get to see Laura's film and get to witness her view of the social politics of facial hair. It's funny to me that a woman is the one that helped me see the politics of my own facial hair. Sometimes, it takes someone on the outside to see what is right in front of your face.


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POP-UP SCREENING: BEARD CLUB
THURSDAY, December 6 | 7pm | FREE
Progressive Grounds Mission
2301 Bryant Street, SF

www.beardclub.com


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    Margaret Bacon Schulze and Jason Wyman, Co-founders of 14 Black Poppies

    About the Blog

    The 14 Black Poppies Blog is the place to find creative works, personal reflections, articles and various arts and wellness sundries that either inspire or are created by co-founders Jason Wyman and Margaret Bacon Schulze.

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