About Opentopia
Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

Moustache

Encyclopedia : M : MO : MOU : Moustache

Edgar Allan Poe had a simple moustache.
Enlarge
Edgar Allan Poe had a simple moustache.

A moustache (sometimes spelled mustache in the United States) is facial hair grown on 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.

Contents

Vernacular names

Some vernacular terms for the moustache are stache, tache, tash, mo, shoo-shoo, soup strainer, molest-ache, flavor saver, lip tickler, lost caterpillar, mocha stain, cookie duster, pussy tickler, furry friend, or sticky soaker

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. [Let us now praise famous mustaches popcandy's blog, USAtoday, December 12, 2005] , [Who says women can't be sexy with a five o'clock shadow? - The Observer, November 2, 2003]

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 1920s 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.

The moustache in male adolescence

The moustache forms its own stage in the development of facial hair in adolescent males. [UNESCO educational document on Adolescent Reproductive Health, June 2002, Section 2 II H(7.5 Mb PDF)] There is a definite order in which facial hairs appear on the face during puberty : This early growth is often called a "Cookie-Dust Moustache" due to the lack of fullness.

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.

Moustache styles

This man sports a distinctive white moustache.
Enlarge
This man sports a distinctive white moustache.

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/

Famous or notable moustaches

Main article: List of famous people wearing a moustache.
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.

Famous or notable moustaches in art and fiction

Duchamp's parody of the Mona Lisa adds a goatee and moustache.
Enlarge
Duchamp's parody of the Mona Lisa adds a goatee and moustache.

See also

References

External links

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

Search Titles
0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJ
KLMNOPQRST
UVWXYZ?

E-mail this article to:

Personal Message: