Ten Years Later, We Have a Ruling On This Beard

It's been ten years since we all fell truly, madly deeply in love with Ryan Gosling and his character in The Notebook , Noah Calhoun. And if you're a big fan of the 2004 weepie (who isn't, honestly?), there's a good chance you have a preference: the young, baby-faced, clean-shaven Noah or the older, brooding, bearded Noah.

Yes, ideally, like Rachel McAdams's character Allie Hamilton you would have access to both Noahs/Ryans, but for the sake of this argument there can only be one. Now, it's easy to see why you'd swoon over the younger version of Noah, what with his aw-shucks good looks and carefree nature, but it'd be just as easy to fall hard for the older version of Noah, with his dream-house-building skills and his piercing gaze. But, as these things so often tend to do with hot guys: it all comes down to the beard.

In honor of the 10th anniversary of the release of The Notebook, and the official start of our lifelong crush on Ryan Gosling, we've decided to settle the beard vs. clean-shaven debate once and for all. Now, it's important to keep in mind that we'll always love both versions of Noah Calhoun, and when it comes to looking at pictures of Ryan Gosling, we're all winners.

Round 1: Kissing Up Against Walls

Clean-Shaven Noah

Bearded Noah

Verdict: Fnnnnngggggggggggh. Are you kidding? No contest, Bearded Noah all the way here.

Round 2: Water Sports

Clean-Shaven Noah

Bearded Noah

Verdict: Now, don't get us wrong, we'd enjoy the hell out of a lovely trip out on Bearded Noah's boat to go check out roughly 789,473 swans, but Clean-Shaven Noah was so much more playful in the water. Heck, he even took part in that crazy "If You're a Bird, I'm a Bird" thing while frolicking in the ocean. "Get in the water!"? You don't have to ask us twice, Clean-Shaven Noah. You win this round.

Round 3: Grand, Romantic Gestures

Clean-Shaven Noah

Bearded Noah

Verdict: As a teenager, young Noah's antics of hanging off of ferris wheels and dancing in the middle of the street might seem adorable, but as grown women it seems downright reckless. Older Noah not only plays it safe, but he can just so happen to build you your dream home. Sorry, we're practical women in 2014: Bearded Noah gets this one.

Round 4: Fighting (and Making Up)

Clean-Shaven Noah

Bearded Noah

Verdict: Honestly, how could you stay angry at either of those faces for long? Still, we give the slight edge to Bearded Noah here for telling Allie she had to make a decision for herself, not for anybody else. Good man.

Round 5: General Dreaminess

Clean-Shaven Noah

Bearded Noah

Verdict: Impossible to pick. This one is a draw.

Final Verdict

Bearded Noah!

Oh, dear, sweet Clean-Shaven Noah, we'll always appreciate how much more you smiled than Bearded Noah and how you took your shirt off on that boat, but Bearded Noah is still the clear winner. Yes, Bearded Noah is very serious...seriously hot, that is. Chalk it up to that incredible sex scene or that his heart belonged forever to his first love, but Bearded Noah (and thus, Bearded Ryan Gosling) is to thank for our decade-long love affair with The Notebook.

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