Facial Hair Craze Sweeps San Mateo: OAFH is Cause
Robin Dunn
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OP/ED Editor,
The San Mateo Hi

Facial hair at San Mateo High is definitely the hip thing to be sporting these days, and one remarkable club is responsible for this: the Organization for the Advancement of Facial Hair. Led by seniors Ryan Friedman and Jeremiah Ragadio, OAFH already boasts a roster of more than 50 registered members, and there's plenty room for growth.

OAFH grew from Ryan Friedman's observation that San Mateo was distinctly lacking in a club whose sole focus was facial hair, and that such a club would obviously be a great enhancement to the SMHS community. He sincerely believes that the fledgling club has the potential to bring people together, united behind a mutual love for facial hair.
As a mark of the universality of facial hair's appeal, OAFH does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation or beard status. The club especially welcomes female members. Denise Diskin and Hannah Abrams are the two currently active female members who provide valuable insight into the issue of female facial hair. Ryan explained this non-discriminatory policy thusly: "you need not have facial hair to join this club, merely a love for it."

OAFH does not have any specific goals for the year, but Friedman does hope to promote a more widespread acceptance of facial hair by the general public. Meanwhile, OAFH's lunchtime meetings are an opportunity for members to discuss their personal facial hair preferences, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of having facial hair.

By far the most pressing reason to cultivate facial hair is, according to Friedman, "because it drives women wild." He does admit, however, that a full-blown beard can have its drawbacks: if you're not careful, you can "tear up your girlfriend's face" with whisker-burn. Other disadvantages the club noted are: the tendency for food to get stuck in your beard, the high level of maintenance facial hair requires, and the occasional non-

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