Moustache

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A moustache (sometimes spelt mustache in the United States) is facial hair grown above the upper lip. Often the term implies that the wearer grows only the upper lip hair and chooses to shave the hair on his chin and cheeks. Common vernacular terms for the moustache are , stache, tache, tash, berts , mo and cookie duster.

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History

Historically, moustaches have been worn by military men and the number of nations, regiments and ranks were equalled only by the number of styles and variations. Generally, the younger men and lower ranks wore the smaller and less elaborate moustaches. As a man advanced in rank, so did his moustache become thicker and bushier, until he ultimately was permitted to wear an ever fuller beard. For a glimpse into this colourful and noble past, refer to the works of famous military artists.

In Western cultures women generally remove facial hair, though many are capable of growing it and have done so, usually in the form of thin moustaches. The artist Frida Kahlo famously depicted herself with both a moustache and a unibrow. This tradition is followed by some contemporary women in the arts. <ref>Let us now praise famous mustaches popcandy's blog, USAtoday, December 12, 2005 </ref> , <ref>Who says women can't be sexy with a five o'clock shadow? - The Observer, November 2, 2003</ref>

An English moustache was formerly used in melodramas, movies and comic books as a shorthand indication of villainy. Snidely Whiplash, for example, was characterized by his moustache, his cape, and his habit of kidnapping women and then tying them to train tracks, in order to foreclose on their mortgages. It should be noted that stock character 20's [male] attire is generally a tophat, a handlebar moustache, and a monocle.

In some countries, it was obligatory for soldiers to grow moustaches. The British Army, for instance, forbade the shaving of the upper lip by all ranks from the 19th century until the regulation was abolished by an Army Order dated 6 October 1916.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word is of French origin, dating from the mid-16th century.

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The moustache in male adolescence

The moustache forms its own stage in the development of facial hair in adolescent males. <ref>UNESCO educational document on Adolescent Reproductive Health, June 2002, Section 2 II H(7.5 Mb PDF</ref> There is a definite order in which facial hairs appear on the face during puberty :

  • The first facial hair to appear grows at the corners of the upper lip,
  • It then spreads to form a moustache over the entire upper lip,
  • This is followed by the appearance of hair on the upper part of the cheeks, and the area under the lower lip,
  • It eventually spreads to the sides and lower border of the chin, and the rest of the lower face to form a full beard.
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Moustache care

Most men with a normal or strong beard growth must tend it daily, by shaving the hair of the chin and cheeks, to prevent it from soon reverting to a full beard. This necessity has engendered the invention of quite a wide variety of accoutrements designed for the care of a gentleman's moustache, including moustache wax, moustache nets (snoods), moustache brushes, moustache combs and moustache scissors. The moustache cup is a drinking cup with a partial cover to protect the upper lip from froth in the drink.

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Moustache styles

  • Dalí - Narrow, long points bent or curved steeply upward; areas past the corner of the mouth must be shaved. Artificial styling aids permitted.
  • English - Narrow, beginning at the middle of the upper lip the whiskers are very long and pulled to the side, slightly curled; the ends are pointed slightly upward ; areas past the corner of the mouth must be shaved. Artificial styling aids permitted.
  • Fu Manchu - long, downward pointing ends, generally beyond the chin
  • Handlebar - bushy, with small upward pointing ends
  • Imperial - whiskers growing from both the upper lip and cheeks, curled upward (distinct from the royale, or impériale)
  • Moustachio or mustachio - large luxuriant moustache, with hair sometimes growing down the sides of the mouth. Also known as a Nosebeard.
  • Pencil- narrow, closely clipped, outlining the upper lip, with a wide shaven gap between the nose and moustache. Also known as a mouthbrow.
  • Toothbrush - thick, but shaved except for about an inch (2.5 cm) in the center; associated with Adolf Hitler and Charlie Chaplin.
  • Trash - thin trashy mustache most famously found on John Waters, Gary Neville and Ted Turner
  • Walrus - bushy, hanging down over the lips, often entirely covering the mouth
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Moustache growing competitions

In North America, many groups of men (co-workers, friends, and students) often partake in moustache growing competitions. They are usually fun in nature and offer a bonding experience for groups of young men. The ultimate goal is to grow the most full and well-groomed moustache in the least amount of time.

In more robust competitions, as mustaches are seen as a symbol of male virility, the winner is usually seen as the most manly of the competitors. Many competitions exist at any given time, for example the North Bay Moustache League.

MoustacheMarch has a large number of participants each year. They spend several months growing out beards and then enjoy the Moustache all March long. Several pictures and videos can be seen on the website.

An organization calling itself the Follicle Freedom Foundation hosts a yearly event known as Mustache March. The event is a charitable in nature with all proceeds going to the MACC (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer) Fund. The event starts on March 1st, the day that all participants must be clean shaven. On March 15th the participants must shave all facial hair except that which is defined as a mustache. On the 31st a chili cookout is held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to give the participants a chance to show off their follicular artistry. More information on the event can be found at http://www.mustachemarch.com/

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Famous or notable moustaches

Image:SirClaudeMacdonald.jpg In some cases, a moustache becomes the dominant aesthetic trait in the bearer. The following (clearly incomplete) list contains notable individuals whose moustaches have been especially notable. In some cases, the moustaches are so prominently identified with a single individual that it could be identified with them without any further identifying traits, such as in the case of Adolf Hitler or Friedrich Nietzsche. In some cases, such as with Groucho Marx and Charlie Chaplin, the moustache in question was not even real for most of their lives.

Image:Nietzsche187a.jpg

Image:Stalin1.jpg

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Famous or notable moustaches in fiction

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See also

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References

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External links

dv:މަތިމަސް es:Bigote eo:Lipharo fr:Moustache os:Рихитæ he:שפם nl:Snor (haargroei) no:Bart pl:Wąsy pt:Bigode simple:Mustache sv:Mustasch

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