Image No-© 2011, D.M. Schwartz

I must have missed the memo; the one that said men only have to shave their faces every three days. But then, had I got the message I wouldn’t have been able to read it.   As far as I can tell, Palestine is where this started and I’m pretty sure all of Yasser Arafat’s memos were in Arabic. Confused? I guess some background is in order.

Following World War II, facial hair was déclassé. Veterans of the war associated a week’s beard growth with privation, fox holes, misery and death. A clean-shaven face meant its owner had hot water, money for shaving cream and razors, as well as the luxury of time to do the job. Let’s not forget that women liked that smooth skin. This was a critical factor for couples trying to make babies. A lot of that was going on post-war, too. See, “Baby Boom.”

Fast-forward to 1966. The Vietnam War, hippies, protests and civil disobedience were front page news. Unlike the situation in WWII, most of the grunts in Vietnam had a place to shower and shave when they weren’t on patrol. Hippies wanted to distinguish themselves from “straights,” so they got really hairy. Beards, long hair, ponytails and braids were the freak flags of the day.

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the Palestine Liberation Organization was getting its act together. By the time Yasser Arafat became leader of the group in 1969, the PLO’s mission was clear: armed attacks on anything “Zionist.” Initially smooth-shaven, Arafat and his lieutenants must have realized that real terrorists need to look menacing, rugged, manly and too busy with guns and ammo for niceties like shaving, or neckties for that matter. And what better way to convey that image than to sport a three to five-day beard?

As permanent underdogs, the PLO terrorist image appealed to European youth looking to make an anti-establishment statement. Before you could say “Baader-Meinhof Gang,” thuggish looking white guys were everywhere. It took about a decade for that look to become a fashion statement, then a sexy style trend, and finally blow west to New York City, and from there to society at large.

I wonder, how many of those rugged Vanity Fair magazine men’s underwear models know their scruffy three-day beards are traditionally worn with an AK-47?