INDONESIA — We’ve all seen them: the thick, luxurious lumberjack beards that have sprouted on fashionable males from New York to London, to Berlin and Sydney. <br /> <br />It seems we’ve finally reached peak beard. But, thanks to genetics, it’s a phenomenon so far limited just about everyone who’s, well, not Asian. <br /> <br />Until now. Enter Fariz Gamal - he’s one one-man mission to help his Indonesian brothers accentuate their masculinity through facial hair. And he’s using a popular baldness cure to do it. <br /> <br />Fariz’s fascination with beards began when he noticed the facial hair trend gripping Europe and the US. Why should only his caucasian cousins enjoy the masculine allure that a beard can provide? Fariz had made up his mind: a lush carpet of facial foliage - that’s what makes a real man. <br /> <br />By while despondent that his Asian DNA has had put the promise of increased studliness cruelly beyond his reach, he discovered the solution: Cut-price minoxidil, the popular hair re-growth serum, could be shipped to Indonesia directly from the US. <br /> <br />Minoxidil is the go-to cure for men with male pattern baldness. But it also has a no-so-secret off-label use: it works on the face, too. <br /> <br />Fariz quickly set up a business marketing the stuff through YouTube, Instagram and char apps for men across Indonesia. Not only has he made a killing, he says the stuff helped him get his current girlfriend. <br /> <br />And his customers are happy. Social media is filled with before and after photos from fellas who’ve transformed using minoxidil. <br /> <br />What do you think? If women can use anything under the sun to improve their looks, it is weird for men to do the same?
