I argued this point years ago, with our Circuit Overseer. I wish I had kept a copy of the letter I sent him. (My husband and another elder signed the letter too) One thing I said is that all of the Bible writers, AND Jesus Christ had beards. In Israel, a man was REQUIRED to wear a beard. Why are they making such an issue of this subject, especially since the WT had just said they don't have rules? He called my husband (not me) and apologized for the talk he had given at the Circuit Assembly the previous week about beards. He did it on the part where they address needs of the circuit. There was one person in the audience with a beard, who was a close friend of ours. I said in the letter, he should have spoken to him privately, instead of embarrassing him in front of the entire circuit.
During Russell's time, beards were very common. Look at old photos from that time frame. Many, if not most men, wore beards. During WW2, service men were clean shaven, and that custom spread, so a few years into Rutherford's "reign", it wasn't as common anyway. What was said about his wanting them clean shaven because Russellites weren't, makes perfect sense too.
In the past 15 years, or more, beards have become very common again. I have been to doctors who have very well groomed beards, and I thought nothing of it, even when I was a witness. My new dentist has chin whiskers. There are men with very unnattractive beards, and there are clean shaven men, who look pretty scary too. Beards aren't the issue, in a threatening looking person, but they can be.