Why is this always an issue? It is not just a watchtower thing, but a cultural thing. It's all about how the public views someone.
Presidents With Beards - Which of Them Had the Best Beard (beardoholic.com)
Clean-shaven presidents have always occupied the highest political office in the U.S.. This has been the norm across the whole political hemisphere.
From presidents, governors, to senators, very few have significant facial hair. It’s been more than a century since a bearded president served the office.
Facial hair has long been tied to male courage and masculinity. You would expect politicians to spot some mean facial hair, but that is not always the case.
We’re living at a time where beards are no longer frowned upon and campaign like the Movember trend every year. For some reason, this is yet to take shape when it comes to politicians and presidents in particular.
Beards became popular in the 1960s among the hippie counterculture. This notion led to their reduced popularity in politics. Today less than five percent of the members of the U.S. Congress have mustaches or beards.
There is little research about politicians and facial hair. Analysts have, however, concluded that voters make decisions based on factors like appearance. As such, it’s reasonable to assume that facial hair can influence voters’ perceptions. Because of this reason, politicians opt to be clean-shaven.
Voters perceive politicians with beards as more masculine. There is also that general feeling that beards and mustaches make a man look more mature. This is a quality that people want to see in a head of state.
Some, however, believe that men who have beards are not only unhygienic but have something to hide. In politics, public trust is everything if you want the votes.
Having a clean-shaven president shows that the person is tidy, clean, and bear with nothing to hide. These qualities would make a candidate look trustworthy, thereby winning more votes.
Subconsciously, our perceptions play a role in who we elect and who we don’t. This is all tied to their appearance.