On Golden Globes Red Carpet, Spotlight Is on... Charlie Puth‘s Lack of Facial Hair?

Singer Charlie Puth attends the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

Charlie Puth has had an amazing year, being nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song for his chart-topping Wiz Khalifa collaboration “See You Again” from the action film Furious 7. The song was written as a tribute to the late star of the Fast & Furious franchise, Paul Walker.

But during E!’s red carpet pre-show, it was 24-year-old Puth’s lack of facial hair that was put on focus when he spoke with host Giuliana Rancic. The musician told Rancic about regularly getting carded because of his youthful appearance, and that he is “trying to grow a little stubble out. I have a little as you can see.”

“I see it,” Rancic says.

“You can feel it,” Puth continues. “It’s like a – “

“It’s a little!” Rancic answers, after petting Puth’s neck. “Are you trying to clean it up or are you letting it go?”

“This is me letting it go for two weeks,” the musician answers. “It’s pathetic.”

“It takes time,” Rancic says.

Charlie Puth as he is having his facial hair examined by Giuliana Rancic. (Photo: Jennifer Gerson Uffalussy)

Since we’re not in Charlie Puth’s brain, we cannot say with certainty how he took the whole interaction — but it’s safe to say that facial hair (or the inability to grow it) is a subject of self-consciousness for many men. Esquire pointed out last year that Movember, the mustache-growing fundraising movement for testicular cancer, is source enough for shame amongst those men who find themselves without as much facial hair as their brethren. And more than 2.5 million Buzzfeed readers clearly found resonance with a post titled “19 Painful Truths Only Guys Who Can’t Grow Beards Will Understand.” Some men, reportedly, are turning to everything from testosterone to beard implants (no really) to feel comfortable with the way the look.

Why does facial hair seem to matter so much? Research suggests it could be due to the supposed association between facial hair and attractiveness: A 2013 Australian study found that women prefer men with heavy stubble over clean-shaven guys or those with only the faintest suggestion of scruff. The researchers noted that “our findings confirm that beardedness affects judgments of male socio-sexual attributes and suggest that an intermediate level of beardedness is most attractive while full-bearded men may be perceived as better fathers who could protect and invest in offspring.”

But of course, studies like this don’t speak for all people — everyone has their own unique tastes, and what makes someone truly attractive is owning their appearance — body shape, ability to grow hair, you name it. Facial hair has nothing to do with a person’s own masculinity or sense of gender identity — it’s just another genetic trait that impacts the body someone is born with. (And let’s not forget that many men may not have been assigned male at birth!)

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