One of my colleagues told me to shave. She said I look too old like this. "You don't like it?" I asked her. She said, "it's not that I don't like it, but it depends on how you want to look. You look so young when you shave." We are long-time colleagues and good friends and there is no concern, on either part, that we might offend one another. Then, walking Mabel, I saw a few of my students sitting on a stoop. "I like your face," one of them said, shyly. They were happily playing with Mabel while discussing the merits of my stubble. I told them that my colleague told me to shave. They laughed and said "don't do it." Personally, I hate shaving, and I like looking scary, so it suits me fine.