a beard on the platform- HA! That's a good one.
Very shortly after my hubby & I had began to pioneer he was the only male pioneer), the CO gave a talk on personal grooming/hygeine, looks DIRECTLY at my husband and says, "We wouldn't want to be a pioneer looking like the Marlboro Man." (referring to his mustache)
Honestly, I never did pay much attention to the 'careful not to stumble your brother' syndrome the org tries to inflict for control. If a person can be shaken from their belief in God by such small things as a mustache, beard, midrif tops, they didn't have much of a firm belief anyway.