A Ned Kelly beard is a style of facial hair named after 19th-century Australian bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly. It consists of a full, luxuriant beard and a moustache, and is typically accompanied by short, styled hair. Although the term dates back to the early 20th century, it gained currency in Australia in the 2000s to refer to a trend in hipster fashion, and was named word of the month in March 2014 by the Australian National Dictionary Centre.[1]

This photograph of Ned Kelly, taken the day before his execution in 1880, provided the inspiration for the term "Ned Kelly beard".

Description

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The Ned Kelly is said to require a high degree of maintenance and grooming.[2]

History

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The full beard became popular among men in Western countries in the mid-19th-century,[2] and was worn by many Australian bushrangers, including Ned Kelly, who was hanged in Melbourne in 1880 after he and his gang killed policemen.[1] The day before his execution at Old Melbourne Gaol, Kelly posed for a photographic portrait by Charles Nettleton, which has since become a recognisable image to generations of Australians.[3] The Australian National Dictionary Centre cites this photograph as the inspiration for the term Ned Kelly beard.[1]

The term was shortlisted in the Australian National Dictionary Centre's 2014 word of the year competition, but lost to shirtfront, an Australian rules football term.[4]

Examples

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Celebrities who have been said to sport the Ned Kelly beard style include Australian rules football player Jimmy Bartel,[5] politician Phil Cleary,[6] Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak,[7] and freestyle skier Anton Grimus.[8] In 2008, journalist Mark Willacy described Hamas military leader Salah Shehade as having a "square Ned Kelly beard".[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Word of the Month: Ned Kelly Beard" (March 2018), Oxford University Press Australia. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Beards were cool long before hipsters" (3 December 2017), Sunshine Coast Daily. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  3. ^ Gordon, Harry (1975). Famous Australian News Pictures. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 9780333175606, pp. 6–11.
  4. ^ Trembath, Brendan (10 December 2014). "'Shirtfront' named Australia's word of the year by National Dictionary Centre". ABC News. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  5. ^ Dennehy, Luke (6 September 2016). "Jimmy Bartel’s domestic violence campaign nears its hairy end", Herald Sun. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  6. ^ Mueller, Ross (30 September 2015). "Ross Mueller: Old softie and footy legend Phil Cleary still the hard man in defence of women", Geelong Advertiser. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  7. ^ Gatt, Ray (17 November 2017). "World Cup: Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak never lost the faith". The Australian. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Australian ski cross racer Anton ‘The Beard’ Grimus crashed out in Sochi" (20 February 2014), news.com.au. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  9. ^ Willacy, Mark (2008). The View From Valley of Hell. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 9781741980714, p. 19.