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Many a hero has inspired a man to grow a beard. There’s just something so darn heroic about a gloriously kept face-mane. The wisest of wizards in pop culture are always sporting waist-length white beards to gently stroke as they ponder the problems of the world, the dashing rogues who save the day have some too-busy-saving-the-world-to-shave stubble, and some even have intricately woven beards, or beards dyed and decorated for that extra flair.

However, for World Beard Day, we’re not looking at the beards of the heroes, but at the (often far more interesting) beards of the villains of pop culture. We’ve come a long way from the boring go-to-goatee that was the ultimate villain look for so long. Check out these incredible beards for every bad guy.

Image by Evgeni Tcherkasski from Pixabay

Lighthouses have long captured the romantic imaginations of writers and creators: the symbolism of a single bright light guiding a lost soul home, of the lonely and windswept lighthouse keeper, gazing out to sea, of the call of the sea itself, and, of course, a stone tower that would fit in in a fairytale world. It’s no wonder that lighthouses are so popular in pop culture—even if the real-life lighthouse keepers are becoming increasingly rare to find.

In honor of all the ways that lighthouses have captured our attention, whether in romance, horror, or something in between, we’re rounding up some of the biggest and best lighthouses in pop culture. 

While brothers, sisters, parents and children are all at the core of most of our favorite books and stories, cousins tend to get shunted to the side a little. But just because many cousins don’t live together or take center stage, that doesn’t mean that their connection is any less wonderful, as these incredible, unusual, and surprising sets of pop culture cousins prove.

[TV still from Queer Eye, Netflix]

Since the makeover show got a revamp in 2018, fans have been laughing, crying, and loving the new Fab Five and the lives they change. From Tan’s style tips (and his love of a good French tuck), to Antoni’s delightful cooking (and hilarious responses to smelly fridges), to Karamo’s kindness and caring, to Bobby’s miracle-working interior design, and of course, Jonathan Van Ness’s inimitable style, these men turn the lives of their targets upside down––in the best possible way.

But when they aren’t working tear-jerking miracles, we assume that the guys love to curl up with a good book (and hopefully a snack that Antoni made!), so we’ve got some great recommendations for them this summer––and one for fans of the show!

[Image by Alexander Antropov from Pixabay]

Right now, it might seem like a meteor or asteroid would just be another event on the bad-year BINGO sheet of 2020, but not all meteors are bad ones! In fact, if we want to get technical about it, meteors are rarely bad ones, as a meteor is a part of an asteroid or meteorite that has broken off, headed toward Earth, and burned up in the atmosphere, creating a beautiful streak of light across the sky.

The scary stuff is the asteroid itself, that big hunk of space-rock (we’re getting less technical now) that is the Big Bad of so many disaster movies. But even then, some are definitely a little more frightening than others, and we’ve got some of the biggest, baddest, and best right here.

Photo by JESHOOTS.com from Pexels

Dev Patel shot to fame thanks to the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, and since then, he’s starred in everything from action films to high drama to retirement comedy. Most recently, Patel has found himself at the center of casting controversy, thanks to his portrayal of David Copperfield. Many fans and critics applauded the decision to cast based on sheer charisma and talent, rather than race, but of course, a vocal minority was none too pleased about it.

However, there’s no doubt that Patel’s role has changed the way we look at classic literary characters (hopefully for the better), opening up future adaptations as well. In honor of the film, we’re taking a look at some of his other literary roles.