FWIW, I don’t think there’s a cost in academia for looking a little bit different if doing so makes you look a bit better (at least if we’re talking about within the US – other countries may be different). Yes, an unkept, big bushy beard would presumably be a negative (though less so in academia than in other professions), but stylish hairstyles like Afro buns or cornrows might even be a slight positive.
FWIW, I don’t think there’s a cost in academia for looking a little bit different if doing so makes you look a bit better (at least if we’re talking about within the US – other countries may be different). Yes, an unkept, big bushy beard would presumably be a negative (though less so in academia than in other professions), but stylish hairstyles like Afro buns or cornrows might even be a slight positive.