I'm talking about the beards, of course. Beards so outrageous and outlandish and inimitable that people aren't even trying to grow them. They're just sticking them on. The Red Sox merchandise shops are selling fake beards that you can wear during games. They're more dye-job Gandalf than Jonny Gomes, but they get the point across: You're one of them.

There’s lots to write about regarding “Duck Dynasty” as a cultural phenomenon, but I’m going to focus on the history behind American beards and why that history is essential to the show’s success. Over at History Scene, Sarah Gold McBride provides a fantastic historical recap of the power of the beard in terms of shaping masculinity in the 19th century. The 19th century was a period of vast changes during which the modern world as we know it was formed. Indeed, many of the cultural, political, and economic tropes that we acknowledge today were first articulated and solidified in the 19th century, and this includes beards and their relationship to manhood.