I love beards. Like… I love them. I think beards are like the male equivalent of boobs. Allow me to explain… First of all, beards and boobs are each a sign of masculinity and femininity, respectively, but, unlike other body parts that also divide the sexes, beards and boobs are visible to the world and can be rightly flaunted. Second, when it comes to beards and boobs, bigger is often assumed to be better but only to a point… because eventually things just get out of control. And finally, men can’t really have boobs and women can’t really have beards, and if by some chance they do, they are ridiculed for no longer fitting our silly American standard of beauty so it’s really best to admire these parts of the body from afar… on the opposite sex.

Perhaps the only thing better than a man with a beard is a man growing a beard. Think about it. You know when you look at a guy you previously had little to no interest in but now you’re looking at him and something is a little bit off but in a really good way and you’re like “What is going on here?” but all you can think to ask is, “Have you been… camping?” And he totally hasn’t been camping at all but the 3-day shadow on his almost-bearded face makes him look like he should definitely be pitching tents and chopping wood and building fires and… making out with you.

Calm down, Katie.

THE POINT IS… I am thrilled to be joining a bunch of beard growers to raise money for the annual Beards BeCAUSE fundraiser to end domestic violence and that is why I’m rambling on about beards.

“Beards BeCAUSE is a grass roots non-profit organization founded in 2007 to advocate against domestic violence while raising much needed funding for local abuse shelters. Our unique fundraising approach brings men and women together in the spirit of fun competition, but also maintains focus on domestic violence education.”

The way it works is that a bunch of awesome guys agree not to shave for two months while raising money for women’s shelters in Charlotte. The fundraising season kicked off Saturday night with the Clean Shaven Party and will end the first week in December with a whole bunch of hairy guys. It’s gonna be great. I’m on board because it’s a light-hearted, friendly way to draw much needed attention (and funds) to a heavy, heartbreaking cause.

I haven’t decided yet how I’ll be bringing in my funds, but since I can’t very well grow a beard for the next 70 days, I’ll be playing the game my own way. Expect another online bake sale or two, some Ralph & Weaz paraphernalia (tshirts??) and plenty of beard rants.

At first I thought about shaving my head but then I thought about what a terrible idea that was. So instead I’m doing something I can do. Yoga. Every day. 70 days of yoga. Here we go…

Want to donate already?? Cool!

You can head on over to my Beards BeCAUSE page and click “Donate Now.”