A toddler was left speechless after her dad surprised her by shaving his beard off for the first time in nearly a decade.

For as long as Janiece Gilbert from Florida can remember, her husband Xavier had a beard. “I never saw him without a beard and he hadn’t shaved it since high school, which was almost 10 years ago,” Gilbert told Newsweek.

The decision to do away with it was not taken lightly either. “Xavier actually shaved his beard off for a work-related reason. It’s not something he would ever normally do because that beard is like a part of him,” Gilbert said.

“We even went as far as photoshopping how he might look without it before he committed. That beard was a staple, so this was a major change!”

By the time Xavier had done the deed, Gilbert had come to terms with the change. However, their two daughters, both under the age of 3, who Gilbert chose not to name, had been left in the dark about what their dad had planned.

And the toddler’s reaction wasn’t all that surprising, as previous studies have shown children have a complicated relationship with facial hair. In 2019, a study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior saw 470 children ranging from toddlers right up to teenagers, quizzed on the topic.

With each question they were presented with two photos: one of a bearded man and another clean-shaven. Researchers then asked questions like “Which man looks best?” and “Which man looks stronger?”

The responses highlighted some interesting trends, not least among the younger respondents. Young kids viewed fresh-faced men as better looking and more trustworthy, however bearded men were deemed stronger and better at physical challenges.

Gilbert decided to capture their reactions on camera with the footage ending up on the couple’s @acouple.gs Instagram and TikTok pages.

“I started posting content as a way to share our real life day to day moments,” Gilbert said. “I’m big on showing the funny and honest side of parenting and relationships, especially as young parents figuring it out. I like looking at it as a digital scrapbook of our lives.”

Though the couple have had a few breakout hits, nothing has compared to the reaction to the video of Xavier revealing his clean shaven face to the kids for the first time.

“We’re honestly still laughing it up over the whole thing, and it’s been so wild seeing how many people could relate,” Gilbert said.

It’s been watched over 8.6 million times since being posted at the end of last month. Much of that is down to the reaction of their eldest daughter in the clip.

The Gilbert family aren’t the first to go viral over a haircut. Previous videos showing young kids reacting to dads getting new haircuts, and one of a wife responding with shock to her husband shaving, have delighted the internet before. While one clip of a haircut gone seriously wrong also proved popular.

“We figured the girls might react, but we didn’t expect our oldest daughter to look so shocked and betrayed,” Gilbert said. “Her whole look was ‘this isn’t the same dad I met in the delivery room.’ It was hilarious but also a little sad how confused she was. She really was speechless!”

It’s been a couple of months since the video was filmed and Gilbert is pleased to report that things have calmed down a little. “Our daughter is used to it now, but yes, the beard is definitely missed”.

The bad news for her is that there could be further change afoot.

“We want to say that Xavier won’t be shaving it off soon but he honestly just might have to again.. along with his HAIR!” Gilbert said. “Now THAT, I’m really not ready for but sometimes you have to make some uncomfortable sacrifices for the things you want in life.”