Beard (female companion)

Beard is a slang term describing a person who is used, knowingly or unknowingly, as a date, romantic partner (boyfriend or girlfriend), or spouse either to conceal infidelity or to conceal one's sexual orientation. The American slang term originally referred to anyone who acted on behalf of another, in any transaction, to conceal a person's true identity. The term can be used in heterosexual and homosexual contexts, but is especially used within LGBT culture. References to beards are seen in mainstream television and films, and other entertainment.

The usage of the term: 'beard,' also known as ‘lavender dating,’ or ‘front dating,’ dates to the twentieth century, prior to the gay rights movements. This was at a time when homosexual relationships had not yet gained public acceptance. Often, in the early to mid-twentieth century, a beard companion was used by homosexual individuals to conceal one’s sexual orientation through the disguise of a heterosexual relationship. This relationship typically was between a lesbian woman and a gay man in an attempt to dispel rumors of homo-orientation. Today, beard or lavender dating is rarely used as a result of greater acceptance of homosexuality in both the United States and Western Europe but is still occasionally today used by young individuals from traditional communities or conservative countries.

In early usage of the term, a beard scenario involved concealing infidelity in a monogamous relationship. In a typical scenario, X and Y are in a supposedly exclusive relationship, but X is actually cheating with Z. However, to prevent Y from learning about X's infidelity, W, the "beard", pretends to be paired with Z. Such a scenario is a central premise of Woody Allen's 1984 film Broadway Danny Rose. The titular talent agent is the beard, pretending to date Tina, a single woman who is actually having an affair with married singer Lou Canova. By posing as Tina's date, Danny can bring her to Lou's performance without drawing attention from Lou's suspicious wife. The term "beard" is a running gag, used four times (e.g., "I'm only the beard") when Tina's ex assumes Danny is Tina's previously mysterious lover.

...
Wikipedia