With the beard and moustaches craze currently dominating the faces of men all over the country, it's natural that companies who have a vested interest in men being clean shaven have some work to do.
That's why the good people at Gillette are going to be in town today at the Houston Pavilions to spread the gospel that women prefer a shorn face to a scruffy one.
REWIND: We Moustache You All a Question: Where Do We Go from Here?
"Research shows that people are kissing less than ever and that 66 percent of women have avoided kissing a guy because he had facial hair," says a heretical press release. "Women prefer the look and feel of a smooth or clean shaven guy; in particular, women in the South like the look of light stubble the least (44 percent) when compared to other regions."
Is this true, ladies? Are us bearded men turning you off so much that kissing is on the decline?
According to Gillette, "stubble could be the trouble."
Tonight at the Houston Pavilions (1211 Caroline), the Gillette people will be holding a promotional event to raise awareness that your moustache is (probably) turning women away from locking lips with you.
Starting at 4 p.m. and running until 10 p.m., couples are asked to arrive at the event with the man sporting an unshaven face. Each couple will conduct an interview and then kiss. Next, the man will shave with a Gillette razor and conduct the interview and kiss all over again.
All this is to see if women will have a different response to that kiss without scruff in the way.
I have heard women from all backgrounds voice differing opinions on facial hair on their dudes, with most women loving a man with scruff, a full lustrous beard, or a well-kept 'stache and beard combo.
Most of the beard-lovers said they would accept scraggly, trimmed or full beards, as long as they were free of food dander.
Duh.
Gillette is hitting us American slobs where it hurts.
Somewhere the ghost of Don Draper is on a sofa, taking a slow drag off a cigarette and smiling.