A look at Charlotte’s most epic facial hair
Facial hair just might be the ultimate men’s fashion accessory.
Unlike man purses or neckties, you won’t find beards or ‘staches on Amazon, receive them as lame Fathers Day gifts, or forget them at the bar.
Personalized and stylish, these manly calling cards are unique to each wearer, accent the face, and add a je ne sais quoi mystique to guys many find irresistible. At some point in virtually every dude’s life, he tosses the razor aside in favor of going all natural.
Yet some bros are more folically fabulous than others. Here are my favorite Charlotte mugs sporting epic facial hair:
Dan Clodfelter
The former Charlotte Mayor has such an epic ‘stache it has its own Twitter account: @MayorStache.
Brian Quein
President of the Charlotte chapter of the Beard and Mustache Club of North Carolina, Quein’s bush is so epic I bet his lips rarely see the sun.
Jared Yerg
Yerg harnessed the Samson-like power of the beard in founding of Beards BeCause, a grassroots nonprofit raising funds and awareness to fight domestic violence.
Austin Caine
A professional photographer, Caine shoots everything from family portraits to commercial advertising work. Some compare his ‘stache to that of the famed artist Salvador Dali.
Armando Bellmas
Director of Marketing & Communications at McColl Center for Art + Innovation, Bellmas sports the classic salt and pepper GQ look with his positively perfectly coiffed beard.
Cam Newton
More of a soul-patch or chin warmer than a full beard, Newton’s stubble adds enough extra inches to his chin line to make those goal line surges seem that much closer.
Star Lotulelei
Some seriously epic facial hair going on here. The undisputed Panthers leader in the beard department.
Greg Olsen
Tight end Olsen is typically clean shaven during the season but look out come playoff time. This man can get the grass growing in a hurry.
Greg Auten
Chef and co-owner of Pinky’s Westside Grill, rock ‘n’ roll culinary genius Auten matched beards and tats with Diners, Drive-ins and Dives host Guy Fieri when he came to town.
John W. Love
Performance artist Love wears a distinguished beard that exudes confidence, character and class.
Photos: Austin Caine Photography, Armando Bellmas, Chuck Burton/Ledger-Enquirer, Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer, John Love
This story was originally published July 11, 2016 at 11:00 PM with the headline "A look at Charlotte’s most epic facial hair."