Let’s just take a moment to appreciate what Glossip Girl likes to call ‘The Beckham Factor’. That’s the magical mystery turn in ageing that means some men out there actually get better as they get older. I’ve dubbed it ‘The Beckham Factor’ because there really is no better example than the transformation from the bleached-blonde curtains of England’s number 7 to the stubbly, chiselled jaw of the one and only David himself today.
Other men who really do seem to be ageing like a fine wine are 43-year-old, Scottish hunk Gerard Butler, who we wouldn’t kick out of bed for giving us stubble rash, or Canadian actor Ryan Gosling, 32, who once owned a pair of Beckham-style blonde curtains himself, but who is now so rugged he sends some women giddy. Closer to home we have 42-year-old The X Factor judge Gary Barlow who would cause serious blushes if he held open a door for us. Be honest - who wouldn’t like a ‘yes’ from Barlow now he’s perfected his facial hair?
MORE GLOSS: David Beckham strips to his boxers for H&M
Perhaps that’s part of the allure… J Crew’s latest advertising campaign features some seriously hot models, all of whom are sporting face-fur to the max. No longer for old men, the beard is having a moment and it’s a sexy one!
Men do have the edge over women when it comes to ageing. For one thing their skin is 25% thicker than women’s, has higher collagen content, which to add insult to injury breaks down at a slower rate to ours. And, of course, they don’t have the issue of menopause and the effect that change has on the quality and condition of our skin.