“Many of history’s greatest men have sported facial hair: The scientist Charles Darwin, the US President Abraham Lincoln, Dumbledore and now the boys of the Latin school.” This is a direct quote from senior Tej Bahri, a newly-risen facial hair pioneer and promoteur. Recently, a group of local upperclassmen boys have felt that their permission to grow facial hair is restricted within an academic environment. At last, they have an opportunity to voice their struggles and combat some adversity.

With the newly allocated time that remote learning has provided, a small population of Latin’s boys have brought back facial hair with hopes of eliminating any stigma surrounding facial hair in a school setting. “When I’m going to school I feel the need to shave because overgrown facial hair is frowned upon in our community. I guess it’s seen as untidy,” Bahri shares. “Now that we are at home I feel the freedom to do what I want with it. I kind of enjoy growing it out and I want to see what it comes out to look like.” This may come as a surprise to many, however it is something that supposedly is not taken lightly by some of the male community at Latin. “Facial hair is one of the more distinct ways for a person to express themselves. Its unpredictable nature allows for someone to transform themselves from nothing to something,” senior Nikita Volinskiy adds. Still, there are individuals who are not sold on the facial hair at home trend at all. Senior Jonathan Wuyan suggests, “I think the facial hair at home trend’s significance is just people being lazy and tired and not really wanting to clean up because motivation, just in general, is pretty low.” Regardless, it has been an effective source of entertainment at home, and certainly one that will not be extinguished as time inside extends.

Ultimately, the growing trend of ‘facial hair at home’ is another testament to the creativity that being quarantined fosters. People are participating in hobbies that they would have never discovered otherwise. In spite of the trying circumstances, the Latin community has found ways to make their time at home just a little more worthwhile. Now, as the anticipation of an end to isolation grows, not much can be done but continue filling time with things that keep spirits up.