Dear Prudence,
I absolutely love my boyfriend. He values relationships, practices generosity, we share jokes and laughter, and he loves me even when the going gets tough. But, I do not love it when he grows out his beard lumberjack style. It smells funny when it’s wet (and sometimes when it’s not). I don’t like how it feels when we cuddle. But he’s so proud of it that he becomes a little obsessed—Facebook pics, constant grooming, telling me this person or that person admires it, etc. I understand that it’s his face and his hair, so I try to stay away from nagging. When he grew out his beard last year, I simply asked that he keep his upper lip trimmed so I can still enjoy kissing him. Now he’s growing it out again and I’m dreading how long it might get. Any suggestions?
—Weirded Out by the Bearded Out