Jimmy Bartel was very open about his intention to shave off his bushy beard at the end of this year's AFL season.
But that didn't stop the Geelong star's baby son from treating his newly clean-shaven dad with suspicion when the locks finally came off this week.
Bartel's wife Nadia posted a cute video on Instagram of ten-month-old Aston seeing his dad for the first time post-shave.
"When Aston met a beardless daddy, he is pretty unimpressed and confused but didn't cry," she captioned the clip.
Bartel grew his beard for this year's entire AFL season as a way of drawing attention to the issue of domestic violence.
Through the Face Up to DV appeal, Bartel raised $150,000 to assist the Luke Batty Foundation as well as Bethany – a Geelong-based family services organisation supporting victims of domestic violence.
"There are millions of people who will be watching Geelong play this year, so if I can get kids asking their father why I have a big dirty beard and long ratty hair, I will be achieving something," he told The Herald Sun earlier this year.
For Bartel the issue of domestic violence is a deeply personal one. In the interview with The Herald Sun, the 32-year-old shared that his father physically assaulted his mother both during their marriage and after they separated. Bartel and his siblings, as well as his grandparents, were also physically assaulted.
The day before his beard came off, Bartel posted a picture of himself holding his son with the caption: "Hope the little fella doesn't fresh air me tomorrow when I finally have a haircut and shave."
While adorable Aston might take a while to get use to his dad's new look, there is one thing that is certain. The little boy will be immensely proud of his father once he is old enough to appreciate the very public stand Bartel has taken against violence against women.