Skip to main content

World Beard Champion Madison Rowley is Cutting His Beard to Fight Addiction

Three-time World Beard Champion (and former guest on The Manual podcast) Madison Rowley is doing something most people probably never thought he would do – he’s cutting his wondrous, awe-inducing, award-winning beard. He’s doing it for a good reason, though.

According to a Gofundme started by Rowley, he’s cutting his beard to raise awareness about, and help prevent, tragedies brought on by addiction.

Madison Rowley beard
Steven Bustrin

“A year ago, a close childhood friend of mine died from an accidental drug overdose. Brian and I met at age 8 and shared many adventures together up until the day he passed. He always held high expectations for himself, pushing things to the brink of his abilities. Sometimes he hit the breaking point but always learned how to do it better the next time. He was an artist, a businessman, a Blazer fan, a kind and playful soul, always with a mischievous smile and a twinkle in his eye. When he passed, it was unexpected. It devastated our friends, family, and community. Sadly, it’s not an uncommon story,” Rowley explained on the page.

Recommended Videos

Rowley is hoping to raise $28,000, with the proceeds going to Shatterproof, an organization dedicated to improving the treatment of addiction and to helping families affected by addiction in America.

Style Choices:

  • Natural mustache
  • Dali mustache
  • English mustache
  • Imperial mustache
  • Hungarian mustache
  • Goatee natural
  • Musketeer
  • Fu man chu
  • Kaiser beard
  • Sideburns
  • Verdi
  • Garibaldi

If Rowley hits that goal, he will shave his beard. There is a catch, though. Rowley isn’t just shaving his beard. He’s going to shave his beard into one of 12 styles, as chosen by everyone who donates. Each person who donates can vote on what style they want and, at the end of the campaign, the winning style will be selected.

“Once the campaign goal is met, the category that accumulated the most ‘beard bucks’ will determine the style I cut my beard to for the competition,” Rowley wrote.

Styles include the Garibaldi, the Musketeer, the Hungarian (the leader as of publication), and more. The Musketeer is in second place, with the natural mustache coming in a distant third.

As of the publication of this article, $1,919 of $28,000 has been raised. You can donate to the “Cut for the Cause Challenge” here.

Want to hear more about Rowley and his beard? Listen to his appearance on The Manual podcast here!

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
Topics
Acqua di Parma releases the ultimate men’s fragrance for the summer
Acqua di Parma releases new Italian reserve collection
dark blue acqua di parma bottle in front of colorful background

Even if you aren’t planning to jet off to Capri or Amalfi, there’s still another way you can add some Italian summer flair to the season. For Acqua di Parma, invoking Italian scents is an everyday act, but their newest fragrance collection takes this to another level. Playing off three familiar fragrances, the brand has enriched the scents to unveil its new Blu Mediterranea La Riserva collection. Released in a decadent dark blue shade, this collection stands out from the brand’s traditional lineup with a subtle tone switch. The perfect unisex fragrances for the season, Acqua di Parma transports everyone to the Italian coast with plenty of style. 

Exploring Italy with Acqua di Parma’s Blu Mediterranea La Riserva

Read more
How to trim a beard the right way — from stubble to full-on lumberjack
Choose the right beard, get the right tools, and master these techniques for a great look
Beard trimming

At first glance, how to trim a beard seems like an easy problem to solve. I have first-hand experience with this, as my beard grew out evenly when I decided to sprout one. Even better, it came in with a reddish color that complemented my long face and Scotch-Irish ancestry on my father’s side. The basic color and uniformity made it easy to overlook the inevitable mistakes I made, so the toughest task was reminding myself to trim every other day. Otherwise, I would grow a small beard forest that was tough to handle.
For many men, though, it’s not so simple. That’s especially true for beard novices and for those men whose beards serve up some surprises. When that happens, trimming becomes a tougher task, so a brief tactical review is a solid idea.

Choose the right beard type, then get a trimmer

Read more
These unusual men’s colognes are inspired by your favorite food
Man spraying on cologne

For many men, the quest to find the ultimate personalized fragrance is unending. They know all about colognes, expensive and otherwise. They also go into this project with boundless curiosity, well aware of how much they’ll benefit from getting it right with the best men's colognes, both personally and professionally.
In addition, they’re often actively involved in exploring food-based colognes and scents. This can open up a whole new world of personalized fragrances, so it’s well worth taking a closer look to see what works and how far you might want to go in your explorations.

Spices are a staple in the world of scents

Read more