With a trove of copyright-free Civil War portraits at their fingertips, an abundance of irreverent humor—and possibly too much free time—sisters Anna and Julia Hider began a Tumblr blog called “Badass Civil War Beards” while they were both in college. The main purpose of the blog was to provide always-humorous, sometimes-informative commentary on the spectacular facial hair creations popular during the Civil War era.
While a resurgence in wild nests of facial hair (seen any episode of Portlandia?) may have contributed to the popularity of the Tumblr blog, it’s more likely that the sisters’ quirky commentary struck just the right chord of silly-meets-smart. The blog blew up, and the sisters turned their blog into a book that went on sale November 4 (John F. Blair, 2014).
As it happens the book’s release also coincides with No Shave November, a national initiative that seeks to raise awareness about cancer prevention and raise funds for research. During this month, men are encouraged to step-up—or completely abandon, as it were—their manscaping routines. They’ve got some stiff competition, and pretty stunning inspiration, among their Civil War-era brethren.
If you have a gorgeous goatee or a meticulously waxed walrus mustache, enter it into publisher John F. Blair’s No Shave November competition by uploading a photo to your favorite social media platform using hashtags #BadassBeard, #LetItGrow, and #NSN.
One badass winner will be awarded $50 in cash, with a matching donation going to The American Cancer Society. Two runners-up will be awarded $25 each, also with matching funds. Happy growing!
