The issue of whether beards are acceptable or not is addressed in the September 2016 Watchtower - well sort of. It is as clear as mud as to whether they are allowed in places like Australia, USA and Britain.
17. What are some factors that may affect whether a brother wears a beard?
17 What about the propriety of brothers wearing a beard? The Mosaic Law required men to wear a beard. However, Christians are not under the Mosaic Law, nor are they obliged to observe it. (Lev. 19:27; 21:5;Gal. 3:24, 25) In some cultures, a neatly trimmed beard may be acceptable and respectable, and it may not detract at all from the Kingdom message. In fact, some appointed brothers have beards. Even so, some brothers might decide not to wear a beard. (1 Cor. 8:9,13; 10:32) In other cultures or localities, beards are not the custom and are not considered acceptable for Christian ministers. In fact, having one may hinder a brother from bringing glory to God by his dress and grooming and his being irreprehensible.—Rom. 15:1-3;1 Tim. 3:2, 7.
Funny how they say on one hand that even though the Mosaic law made it a requirement for men to have beards they say this about a different matter only a few paragraphs earlier. Here they say that the law must be followed
The Law showed Jehovah’s strong feelings against clothing that does not make clear the distinction between male and female—what has been described in our day as unisex fashion. (ReadDeuteronomy 22:5.) From God’s stated direction about clothing, we clearly see that God is not pleased with styles of dress that feminize men, that make women look like men, or that make it hard to see the difference between men and women.
This following statement seems to be the qualifier as to whether beards are acceptable or not.
In other cultures or localities, beards are not the custom and are not considered acceptable for Christian ministers.
I don't know of any culture or locality that does not generally accept men having beards, it may not be a widely practiced custom but it doesn't need to be done by the majority to be a custom. I wonder when it became important for Christians to even follow local customs?
As for it not being considered acceptable for Christian ministers in certain areas, this is just nonsense. It is a self created, unspoken idea that has evolved from Rutherfords time that makes Elders consider it to be unacceptable. They are basically sanctioning locally made rules.
Although it gives the impression (from the scriptures quoted) that those Brothers with 'titles' are being singled out, all Brothers are considered to be Christian ministers. So if the local Elders don't consider it to be acceptable then that's the law.
So much for their earlier comments made in Para 4
We do not need detailed lists saying which styles of dress are acceptable and which are objectionable. Rather, we are guided by Scriptural principles that allow room for personal preferences.I think there will be a lot of fall out from this as the GB have been far from clear.