Perma-Stubble/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope - Stubble is Badass.

  • Straight - Bob is the badass hero in a grizzly action movie and has stubble.
  • Exaggerated - Every badass character has stubble, and anyone who is not badass is clean-shaven.
  • Justified - Bob has no time to shave, but doesn't want to let his stubble grow out so he trims it.
    • Alternatively, Bob just likes the way stubble looks.
      • Alternatively, Bob is unable to grow a beard
    • Bob's facial hair is a side effect of superpowers
  • Inverted - The least badass character is the only one with stubble.
  • Subverted - Bob has stubble, but he turns out to be a wimp.
  • Double Subverted - ...Until Bob pulls a Let's Get Dangerous move and reveals that he was just Obfuscating Stupidity.
  • Parodied - Every character who is remotely badass has stubble, even the girls.
    • Alternatively, it is physically impossible for Bob to shave his stubble, or for his stubble to grow any longer. Or it grows back the instant he shaves it off.
    • Alternatively, Bob can (and does) use his face as sandpaper.
    • Alternatively, generally wimpy characters automatically become Badass after not shaving for a few days.
  • Deconstructed - Everyone who grows stubble is immediately Badass and society is thrown into turmoil. For instance, teen males who grow stubble earlier end up dominating their schools, be they nice guys or jerks.
  • Reconstructed - ???
  • Zig Zagged - ??
  • Averted - Stubble is purely a fashion statement and has nothing to do with badassitutde.
    • Alternatively, the cast is entirely female, or only the female characters are badass.
  • Enforced - The audience needs to know right away which character is a gritty badass, and stubble = gritty.
  • Lampshaded - "A true badass never shaves! Razors are for the weak!"
    • "He's so manly, you could sand wood with his face!"
  • Invoked - "Bob, you'd look a lot tougher if you grew some stubble."
  • Defied - Bob is a total Badass, but doesn't like the feel of stubble so he continues shaving.
  • Discussed - "That guy must be badass. He looks like he hasn't shaved in a week."
  • Conversed - "That character must be badass. He looks like he hasn't shaved in a week."

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