My friend in Florida told me a story of last year he was walking on the shore in Miami Beach. A man with half a beard was following him and then began to chase him, shouting and trying to assault my friend. He escaped. Days later, the man called Half Beard (real name: Kevin Gibson) was arrested on a felony narcotics possession charge – not his first arrest. The police could have arrested him for assault because he is known to chase people down.
Living in Hawaii, I know firsthand there be such characters on beaches. Beaches attract most interesting sorts. When I searched up Half Beard on Google, I found this is not the first person to shave half of his face.
At the end of last year, GQ magazine wrote, “2017 could easily be called the year of the Beard, or the Mustache, or the Half-Beard.” I think what fashion people call a half beard is a short-length beard that is well trimmed. It's not the vertical split.
Shaving off half of your face vertically (left or right) looks much weirder. Above you can see the mugshots of Miami Beach's Half Beard in 2016 (right) and 2017 (left).
Before him, there was Gianmarco Tamberi, Italy's half-beard pole vaulter. Ladies, he looks quite handsome, does he not?
Those pictures from Eurosport.com
Regardless of these individuals, the vertical split half beard does not seem such a popular trend. 2016 was a high point, it seems. Even with such role models, this fashion has not caught on.
References:
https://www.gq.com/story/new-grooming-rules-to-live-by
https://www.iaaf.org/news/report/banska-bystrica-high-jump-2016-tamberi-fassin
Thumbnail picture of mugshot is from Miami Dade County Sheriffs Office.