Transcript
[00:00:00] Hello, and welcome back to another episode of the English input and output podcast. With this podcast, you could easily practice listening to natural English every day. Please check my website if you want to read the transcript for this episode.
[00:00:26] Hey guys, Connor here again, and today I would like to talk about facial hair in the UK.
[00:00:33] By facial hair. I mean 髭. Or, another word for facial hair, is beard.
[00:00:41] Is it common for men to grow beards in the UK? Is it okay to have a beard at work? I'll be talking about this kind of topic.
[00:00:51] Actually, since about 200 years ago, it has been very common for British men to have beards.
[00:00:58] At first, beards had a very negative image. If a man had a beard, they were probably poor and didn't have a very good job.
[00:01:08] But in the 1850s, the UK fought a war with Russia called the Crimean war. Russia is a very cold country, so British men had to grow beards to keep their faces warm.
[00:01:23] When the war was over, the image of beards had improved. Men with beards were seen as very brave and manly, and it became fashionable for men to have beards.
[00:01:35] And even now it's very fashionable for men to have beards in the UK. In fact, I would say 70 to 80% of my male friends all have beards.
[00:01:47] And if you've been taking my English lessons or following me on Instagram, then you've probably noticed I've been growing a beard myself.
[00:01:56] You may be wondering, why am I growing a beard? Honestly, I don't have a reason, but sometimes I just decide that I will try to grow a beard.
[00:02:08] Actually. It's good timing. Because in the UK we have a tradition called Movember. Have you heard of it? Movember is when almost all men in the UK will try to grow a beard in November.
[00:02:23] This tradition started around 20 years ago, but it's become very popular in the last 10 years.
[00:02:31] British men grow beards during Movember because they want to support men's problems such as men's mental health and cancer. I think it's a very positive thing.
[00:02:43] Of course not all men can grow a beard. It's very difficult for some. Even me.
[00:02:50] Actually I admire men who are able to grow a full beard quickly. My beard is very patchy, which means it takes a long time for it to grow and look nice.
[00:03:02] And if you have a patchy beard, then maybe your employer or your boss won't be happy, or maybe they might feel a bit worried about you.
[00:03:12] But a full and healthy looking beard is fine in the workplace.
[00:03:17] I wonder if it's the same in Japan? I don't think I've seen a Japanese man with a full beard before. Maybe it's more common for Japanese men to have patchy beards? I guess it would explain why most Japanese men are clean shaven, since patchy beards do not look good for work. It looks a bit unprofessional.
[00:03:38] I suppose one reason I'm growing a beard now is because I'm running my own business and I don't have to worry about a boss or manager getting angry.
[00:03:48] But anyway, what do you think about facial hair? Does it look good? Does it have a bad image? Please let me know.
[00:03:57] And that'll be it for today's podcast. If you haven't already, please check my Instagram and feel free to join in my 30 day challenge. I think we're on day 16 now. So there's still time to enter.
[00:04:12] As always guys, thanks so much for listening and please look forward to the next episode.
[00:04:18] See you then and have a good one.
What do you think about facial hair? Tell me @ Anchor.fm! I always give feedback and advice.