Local women dish about the beards in their lives

Men love them, but what do the women in their lives think? A new study by Australian researchers shows that most women prefer men with heavy stubble over clean-shaven guys and men with light stubble or full beards. What a few ladies had to say.

• "Sexy and slimming! But only if it's well-kept. Migrating hair growing down the front and back is a little too 'Harry and the Hendersons.' " — Carly Van Veldhuizen, 34, Eden Prairie

• "I don't like any kind of facial hair. A day's worth of scruff on my husband makes me cringe. I hate the feel of my dad's beard when he hugs me. Just gross!" — Laura Morrow Nielsen, 40, Champlin

• "I like the way it looks on my husband, but hate how it feels. Kind of a Catch-22." — Samantha Ras Benesch, 31, Lindstrom, Minn.

• "The fuzzier the better. Stubble looks great, but it doesn't pass the touchability test. I imagine that guys who shave are high-maintenance." — Rachel Pegararo, 30, Minneapolis

• "Love it. My husband shaved his beard and mustache once in our 22 years and I felt like I was married to a 9-year-old." — Janet Weisberg, 50, Golden Valley