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Originally Posted by MatthewM
Any more opinions? This is a topic highly up for opinion.
Here's a question- do you think that when Tolkien describes a character as "fair of face", that this refers to beardlessness?
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I don't know that the phrase is meant to indicate that a character so described is beardless. Cirdan for example is a bearded elf. All elves are supposed to be "fair of face". Ergo, Cirdan is bearded and good looking. Theoden is described as bearded ("His beard was like snow upon his knees" - TT,
The King of the Golden Hall ) and Tolkien's description of the dead Theoden is as follows:
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The light of the torches shimmered in his white hair like sun in the spray of a fountain, but his face was fair and young, save that a peace lay on it beyond the reach of youth.
RotK, The Houses of Healing
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Now unless Theoden had shaved before going into battle, he presumably is still bearded at the time of the above description.
So it is possible to be bearded and fair of face.
On the other hand you have hobbits, who are generally beardless, apart from the Stoors who have facial hair. But hobbits are said to have "good natured" rather than beautiful faces.