Beards, you either love them or hate them ( speaking as a woman and not of a grower of one ) bit like Marmite really.
Why would you want to grow something that changes the shape of your head /face into the shape of a football. It widens your face, hides your cheekbones, jaw line and you lose the angles to your face . Do you grow it as some kind of mask to hide behind. Does it give you more confidence as a person ? They give out a ' lazy person ' alert and someone who hates shaving ( and yes I'm sure a beard takes some grooming , but not the same kind of grooming ) . For people who have never grown one then decide to, they spell out ' mid life crisis ' . Then there's the kissing , its nasty. But then if you don't go round having long, full blown, snogging sessions with women then that's not a problem. They don't make you look charismatic, nor distinguished, they make you look a lot older than your years .
On the plus side for having one, they can hide scars. You can hide what is there. They provide homes for wildlife and bits of food for later. They mean you get 15 minutes extra in bed before work. They hide double chins .
Do some men grow them as its one of the few things a man can do that a woman can't ( unless you live near Pav and are fortunate to be one of the bearded ladies )
Smooth is the only way , for male and female, well , unless you happen to be Chris Pine or Sean Connery.