Diggin' Through the Vault: Pt. 5 "Curse of the Unwanted Facial Hair!"

I've noticed a startling element of similarity amongst (and throughout. Also, between and betwixt) many of my illustrations that get revised by art directors on magazine or advertising jobs. I don't know whether it's a subconscious decision, or a sinister AD plot cooked up at their secretive annual A.D.M.A.N (Art Directors for Malevolence And Nogoodnikness) meetings, held in an underground lair buried hundreds of feet beneath the statue of David Ogilvy at the corner of 11th & W47th in downtown Manhattan, just to drive me crazy.

But here it is...

Facial hair.

They don't like facial hair.

Case study #1: The illustration at the top of this post? Turned down in favour of altering this nutty professor-type character to a female nutty professor-type character.

No facial hair.

Case study #2: This early astronomer guy for an online ad campaign? Changed to a British sea captain guy with, yes, a powdered wig, but... NO facial hair. See where I'm going? Huh? HUH?!

Case study #3: This be-goateed bebop professor for a kid's book cover? Replaced by a MOUSE! Okay... arguably the mouse has some hair on it's face, but since it's the same hair that covers the rest of it's scrawny little body I say it's categorically NOT facial hair!

So... what have we we learned today? That I only came up with this theory whilst searching for a thread to tie together these three examples of unused illustrations I randomly pulled out of my files, and which has no basis in reality?

I think not!

"Youse draws yer beards, youse takes yer chances."
Take it to heart my friends... take it to heart.