A Betoota Heights woman has found herself caught between desire and regret after finally convincing her boyfriend to shave off his beard—a decision she now wishes she could undo. Mel Fine, 28, had long pushed for a clean-shaven look from her partner Kel, only to discover she may have fallen in love with the beard more than the man himself.
Mel admits that Kel had always worn a scruffy beard since they met, and it had become part of his identity. But after launching a determined two-month campaign, her efforts paid off—only to result in a shocking transformation she wasn’t emotionally prepared for.
“I arrived home and saw a stranger walking around,” she said, still in disbelief. “I almost screamed before realizing it was Kel.” The clean-shaven face had turned her familiar boyfriend into someone almost unrecognizable.
“Oh god I just wanted to see his face,” she said with a mix of regret and awkward humor. “But it looks like a completely different person.” While her request was granted, the aftermath wasn’t the victory she had hoped for.
“I can’t even say how much I hate it because it’s my fault,” Mel confessed, acknowledging her own role in the sudden transformation. The joke she’d heard about beards being the ‘push-up bras for men’ had never rung more true.
Kel’s beard had added structure and maturity to his appearance. Without it, Mel said his baby face made it difficult to take him seriously. The beard had masked a softer, less-defined jawline, which she now missed dearly.
“It’s true what they say,” she said, reflecting on her unexpected regret. “The beard is the push-up bra for blokes.” Her final words were laced with a bittersweet tone: “I think I’ll wait until he’s got some stubble to request the beard goes back on again.”
In a modern world where grooming trends and identity often intertwine, Mel’s light-hearted yet relatable dilemma highlights the fine line between preference and perception. For many, a beard is more than facial hair—it’s personality, confidence, and visual character.
As for Kel, he may now have the final say on whether the beard returns, or if the clean-shaven look is here to stay—awkward baby face and all.
