designer stubble 

Definition:  Stubble maintained indefinitely at the same length usually to make its wearer appear macho.

History: Stubble was generally a no-no for leading men outside of war films until director-producer Sergio Leone introduced it on the youthful face of Clint Eastwood in Spaghetti Westerns of the late 1960s.

In “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981), the presence or absence of stubble on Harrison Ford facially distinguished the action hero Indiana Jones from heart-throb Professor Jones. Three years later stubble became chic with the T.V. show “Miami Vice,” supplying 24-7 testosterone to fashion-plate Don Johnson.

Today, in the era of Johnny Depp, Matthew McConaughey, Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney--and all the other celebrated "sexiest men alive"--designer stubble is an accessory worn on- and off-screen by stars who otherwise would be cute as cute can be.