• Ted Cruz grew a beard.
  • Now that he’s had it for two weeks, it’s inspired a fresh round of reactions.
  • Some people hate it, some people love it.

On November 26, members of congress returned to Washington, DC for the first time since this year’s midterm elections – and all eyes were on Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

No, not because he defeated Democratic upstart Beto O’Rourke, but because he grew a beard.

The look immediately caused criticism, consternation, and even adoration. The AV Club compared him to someone who was “just fired from his part-time job at GameStop for falling asleep in the storeroom too many times.” Elle said it looked like “the remnants of an everything bagel.” But Slate defended it as unapologetically masculine after it grew out a bit more, and right-wing blog American Thinker said it alarmed the “lefty hipster press” because “it projects cool.”

Read more: Beto O’Rourke is quickly becoming a national figure for Democrats at a time when the party has no clear leader

More than two weeks later, the beard has grown. It has transformed from a 15-year-old's patchy attempt at facial hair to a rugged, groomed part of his look. It's a key part of his aesthetic as "the senator who would want to shut down the X-Men if X-Men were real."

Now that it's clear that Cruz is sticking with it, it's inspired fresh consideration. The beard has more defenders than before.

https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/1072682484884799488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/KFILE/status/1072853747670360064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/mckaycoppins/status/1072688728131452928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Some people still aren't impressed, though.

https://twitter.com/moorehn/status/1072831479254839296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/steak_ham/status/1072887501935792128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/steak_ham/status/1072887501935792128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Cruz's senate office didn't immediately respond to INSIDER's request for comment about if and when he would shave it.

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