For the Amish, a North American religious sect in the Old Order Amish Mennonite Church, said Britannica, a hirsute visage represent the embracing of a religious practice as well as providing a social cue. The group, which began in the late 17th century, followed the teachings of Anabaptist leader Jakob Ammann who advocated eschewing fashionable clothing and believed that liars should suffer excommunication and then be shunned by their communities. He also banned any beard trimming, offered Amish Studies, The Young Center. The Amish lifestyle embraces the German word Gelassenheit, which basically means a self-surrendering to a higher authority; pride and attention-seeking are verboten and humility is paramount. Another concept practiced is Ordnung, or order, a group of rules that dictates Amish life, including technology use (or lack of, since the Amish still live as people did 300 years ago, and even fuel their lamplight with propane rather than electricity, as per The Amish Village), facial hair and wardrobe. Men, typically, don an Amish-style hat and vest while women often wear a dress-cape-apron combination and a headdress.

Amish men also grow long distinctive beards without mustaches. Part of the reason for this is because they closely follow the Bible, which says, for instance, in Leviticus 19:27, “Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard,” said We Are the Mighty. The facial hair honors their Christian ancestors from the Bible, where growing whiskers was the norm and signaled a boy’s passage into manhood.