Beard is a slang term describing a person who poses as a false date or romantic partner to mislead others about the nature of a relationship, and/or to conceal someone's sexual orientation.
Concealing unfaithfulness with a beard
In early usage of the term, a beard scenario involves concealing cheating in an exclusive relationship.
In a typical scenario, Z and Y are in a supposedly exclusive relationship, but Z is actually cheating with X. However, to keep Y from learning about Z's infidelity, the "beard" pretends to be paired with X.
Such a scenario is a central premise of Woody Allen's 1984 film Broadway Danny Rose. The titular talent agent is the beard, pretending to date Tina, a single woman who is actually having an affair with married singer Lou Canova. By posing as Tina's date, Danny can bring her to Lou's performances without drawing attention from Lou's suspicious wife. The term "beard" is a running gag, used four times (e.g. "I'm only the beard") when Tina's relatives assume Danny is Tina's previously mysterious lover.
Concealing sexual orientation with a beard
Another recognized usage of "beard" applies to a person who serves to camouflage another's sexual orientation. An example is a gay man pretending to date a woman, in an effort to conceal his homosexuality.
A media example is the episode "The Beard" of the television series Seinfeld, in which Elaine Benes acts as the beard accompanying a male homosexual friend, to suggest that they have a heterosexual relationship.
Though the term "beard" wasn't in use until the '60s,citation needed many of the reported lavender marriages of 1920s Hollywood, and the reportedly similar 1955-'58 marriage of Rock Hudson are somewhat similar to the modern usage of "beard." Taking seriously the claim of Hudson's wife Phyllis Gates, she would've been his beard in an attempt to avert the damage disclosure of Hudson's homosexuality might cause his career.
By the analogy between merkins and fake beards, a male acting as a beard for a lesbian is sometimes called a merkin.
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