Beards in Fashion?

I just read a New York Times article about how beards are now in fashion. I have been the proud owner of a goatee for the past 8 years, and I have never thought of it as making a fashion statement. Anybody who knows me in ‘real life’ (read: not just from reading my site on the Internet) knows that I never have cared about fashion, and the way I dress is proof of that. I enjoy comfortable clothes that I think look nice enough. I don’t feel the need to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars a year on clothing. But back to the whole beard thing. I’ve had it since I was 19, (for those of you keeping score at home, yes I am now 27) and at first I grew my goatee to see how it would look, and maybe to try to look older. Now that I am older, I wear it probably out of habit and convenience. As the article mentions, shaving less of your face is a time saver, even though there is some maintenance. But now that it’s in fashion, should I keep it? Not that I’m trying to be anti-fashion, but the notion that I am fashionable at the moment is hilarious to me.
Once I have more than the two strands of gray hair in my goatee, maybe I will look too old and shave it off. Time will tell, and if that is the case, I’ll sure to mention it here since I know you can’t wait to know how my goatee saga plays out.