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Crossley, Lee, Simpson

MUSTACHE MYSTIQUE

Courtney Crossley

Dionne Lee

Jacob Simpson

Prepared for

February 10, 2012

Dr. Karen C. Holt

Brigham Young University-Idaho

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Introduction

Although much maligned, the mustache continues to saunter through time occupying

the upper lip of history’s greatest figures, while causing political uproar and keeping pop

culture on its toes. One of the most polarizing fashion accessories since its conception in the

early years of civilization, the mustache has permeated through political happenings and even

posed for pictures while accompanying the world’s most famous (and notorious) leaders.

While keeping such a busy schedule, the mustache has also cemented itself in the very

identity of pop culture. The intent of this paper is to document the mustache in its different

spheres of influence—from Charlemagne to the founding of the American Mustache

Institute.

Historical Aspect

The most obvious reason for the ancient popularity of mustaches is the lack of

shaving accessories in early history. However there rarely is a case when a single factor can

be given full responsibility for determining societal expectations of the time.

The Original Mustache

One of the earlier documented reasons behind lengthy facial hair comes from the

Germanic Tribes in Europe. According to Paul Dutton (2004), author of Charlemagne’s

Mustache and Other Cultural Clusters of a Dark Age, the young men of the Chatti were

expected to stop cutting their facial and head hair when they reached puberty, and not cut it

again until they had achieved their first kill of an enemy (p. 5). Robert Bartlett (1993)

describes the same custom, “A classic rite of passage practiced in early medieval Europe was

the first cutting of a boy’s hair as a mark of this transition to the age group beyond infants

and the very young” (p. 47).

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Jump forward in history, and you come to the time of the Merovingians. In this

society, the roles changed. The members of the royal family were the only ones permitted to

grow their hair long. Lengthy locks and beards became symbols of ruling power and

authority. Due to the violent nature of the times, sometimes the only way to distinguish the

king from the other corpses lying on the battlefield was by the length of his hair and beard

(Dutton, 2004, p.13). Gregory reports, “Custom has reserved this practice for royalty as a sort

of distinctive badge and prerogative. Subjects have their hair cut all round, and are strictly

forbidden to grow it any longer.” (cited in Dutton, 2004 p.12) Due to the violent nature of

the times, sometimes the only way to identify the king was by the length of hair and beard on

the corpse lying on the battlefield (p.13). The King’s hair and beard were actually thought to

have some sort of supernatural power. While this solidified their authority, this belief in the

significance of hair was also used against the royalty. If one wished to depose the king, the

most effective way to do so was to shave his beard, cut his hair, and shave the top of his head

as monks did, capping it all by sending him to exile in a monastery. This political use of

facial hair was employed for many decades. A few changes and reformations were made, but

it was not until Charlemagne’s day that the people lost their superstitious belief in the power

of monarchal hair.

Changing Opinions

According to Dutton (2004), Charlemagne was very aware of the social and political

meanings of facial and head hair in his time. He used it to his advantage, shaving and

tonsuring the members of the past royal family to gain power. Charlemagne then proceeded

to consolidate his power over his new monarchy by cutting his own hair and beard, thereby

removing facial hair from its place in determining the position of the king. Charlemagne

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wore a mustache in contrast to the combined beard and mustache that were so integral to the

Monarchy at the time. For the people this created a visual symbol of change in the ruling

family and of Charlemagne’s power to govern without the superficial assistance of a beard

(pp. 23-26).

For a period of time after Charlemagne, mustaches remained fashionable. They held a

prominent place in the traditional image of medieval aristocracy, remaining in style through

the renaissance period in certain parts, and among certain races in Europe. Robert Bartlett

(1993) comments, “One of the oldest and most general functions of hair treatment was to

distinguish ethnic groups” (p. 45). This was true with the previously discussed Merovingian

people. Not only did long hair and beard indicate royalty, the length of hair and beard of the

populace in general was longer than that of their Roman counterparts, which served as a

divider between the groups. The Romans used this characteristic to their advantage, cutting

the hair of the Germanic people as they conquered them (Dutton, 2004, pp. 9-10).

This system of differentiation continued to be used in the middle ages. For example,

facial hair was the only way one could tell the difference between the native Irish, and the

colonizing British. In that era it was important for this system of discrimination to exist,

because the individual groups were treated differently. Laws were put into place in 1297

which required certain ethnic groups to wear their hair in prescribed manners. “The problem,

as this legislation goes on to say, was that Englishmen were being mistaken for Irishmen and

killed as Irishmen, even though the killing of an Englishman and the killing of an Irishman

required quite different punishments. Therefore the English settlers were required to maintain

English mores and tonsure on pain of distraint of their property or imprisonment” (Bartlett,

1993, p. 46). (Italics included in original.)

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A similar situation existed during the re-conquest of Spain, “In the 1250’s Castilian

legislation required ‘that the Moors who live in towns settled by Christians should go about

with their hair cut in a circle and parted without a forelock and that they should wear long

beards as their law commands” (Bartlett, 1993, pp. 46-47). By doing this the Spanish

established a way to easily show the difference between peoples, and to exhibit their power

over the conquered racial group.

The Mustache Reinstated

Up until the “Beard Revolution” in 1850, facial hair of most sorts carried very

negative connotations in society. Susan Walton (2008) reports on “The fear caused by the

sight of men with beards – that hirsute men were wild, possible republican, unregulated

outlaws, likely to demand your money with menaces; that civilization had tamed these virile

characteristics but that now they were breaking through” (p. 232).

Figure 1

Note: This cartoon was published in the Punch Newspaper, 1853, Volume 25, p. 188. It was

accompanied by the following caption. “Railway Guard: Now, Ma'am, is this your luggage?

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Old Lady (who concludes that she is being attacked by Brigands): Oh Yes! Gentlemen, It's

mine. Take it away-take all I have: but spare, oh spare our lives!!” This illustrates the social

view of beards just before they made their full comeback into acceptable society in the

1850s, with the woman assuming the railway guards are outlaws because of their beards.

This reflects the societal issues of the day. This was a time of political instability and

war. Christopher Oldstone-Moore (2005) comments “In the early nineteenth century beards

indicated particular radical political affiliations, including socialism or Chartism, and were

generally unfashionable” (p.7). Ordinary, citizens were afraid to wear facial hair because it

would label them as radical or uncivilized and ostracize them from society. (see fig. 1)

Leading up to 1850, many different factors in British culture began to change,

bringing with them the revival of the beard and mustache. This was the time of the industrial

revolution, the time when man’s production was being taken out of his hands and he was

losing contact with the fruits of his labor. Oldstone-Moore (2005) gives his opinion on the

effects of the industrial revolution, “Men of all classes face fundamental questions: What

sorts of work were honorable and appropriate for men? How could moral standards and

masculine customs be retained in a competitive and commercialized society?” (pp. 8-9)

Questions like these sparked the return to the fashion of allowing protuberances to grow on

one’s face. By growing out their facial hair, men were re-expressing their manliness and

“physical, ‘natural’ masculinity” (p. 9). Similar to the middle ages, facial hair stood as a

symbol of ones masculinity and social status. This symbol was what men coming out of the

industrial revolution needed.

The mustache also had military significance. Beards were no more acceptable in the

military than they were in general society during the beginning of the nineteenth century, but

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they were slowly gaining prominence. Walton (2008) reports that beards had been associated

for years with militarily focused countries, and because the British did not consider

themselves focused on their military program, they hesitated to adopt a style which other,

more war oriented nations had originated. “Beards and mustaches were seen as typical of

those foreign countries where universal military service was mandatory for male citizens. In

the recent past, English men had signaled their aversion to conscription by their clean-shaven

faces ever since they had ousted the bearded Stuarts” (pp. 7-10). According to Walton, in the

1850’s the British Army was having more success, and so their social standing improved (p.

236). As the social image of the army increased in positivity, so did the connotations of

taking on a military image, giving the mustache one more boost on its climb to common

acceptability (p. 235-239).

Social Influence

Whether or not it is realized, facial hair has always had an influence regarding how an

individual is perceived. Sometimes the connotation with facial hair, especially with the

mustache, is negative. On other occasions it has a positive connotation. Dutton (2004) says,

“Hair is a raveling riddle of symbolism, insensation, and corporal tenuity; it is also the only

member of the body that we can easily and effectively change” (p.3). One of the ways for a

man to utilize his characteristics to his advantage is by analyzing when and where to wear the

mustache.

As mentioned previously, it was Charlemagne in 800 AD (Dutton, 2004) who

changed the social aspect of the mustache. This legacy was born, died, and was brought back

to life, over the ages. Many of the armies of the world at some point required soldiers to have

a mustache in order to look more intimidating. An author merely called, “David” (1854) says

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this of a beard and a mustache, “[It is a] natural connexion—that the growth of hair above the

mouth gives to a man the appearance of possessing those qualities for which a soldier should

be remarkable” (cited in Walton, 2008, p.233).

These are all past examples of what was allowed and when. What about today? What

kind of facial hair should a man have and when is it the most opportune or degrading for

him? Through research a few of the negative connotations and the positive connotations have

been revealed.

Negative Connotations

History professor Christopher Oldstone-Moore (2011) recounted a tale from the early

1900s. A woman named Emilie Spencer Deer had been raised in and married into a family

that was extremely Republican. But in the 1948 election Deer had decided not to vote for

candidate Thomas E. Dewey, instead she would cast her lot for President Truman. Her

reasoning behind voting for the Democrat candidate: “she did not like Dewey’s mustache”

(p. 47).

At first this sounds completely ridiculous. Should voters judge a political candidate

off of their appearance? Oldstone-Moore (2011) continues to explain Deer’s reasoning. In

this particular time period a mustache signaled a man who would do what he wanted without

considering others. On the opposite spectrum, a man that was clean shaven was characterized

as trustworthy and dependable (p. 47). At the same time period the medical field was

announcing that instead of mustaches promoting good health, a mustache was more likely to

cause illness (Oldstone-Moore, 2001, p.51). This led for men who had an upper lip accessory

to be deemed as unclean. After examining the reasons behind Deer’s thoughts, her decision

of who to vote for makes a little more sense.

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This same theory that exists in America holds true for politics in England as well. In a

study done by Ray Bull and Caroline Hawkes (1982) they concluded that, “…it is likely that

a politician’s physical appearance influences the number of election votes he receives” (p.

95). Bull and Hawkes (1982) discovered this by testing people on which British Members of

Parliament they thought belonged to the Conservatives or the Labour group. On a surprising

note, the personal party affiliation of the observers did not matter when it came to judging the

politician from their faces.

Conservatives were thought to be the ones with finer features and without facial hair.

The Labour group members were expected to have a harsher look and they had facial hair.

The finer, cleaner features promoted intelligence while the harsh look promoted rashness

(p.96).

From this study, it can be gathered that a politician anywhere in the western culture

ought not to have a mustache. A mustache symbolized to the people that you are headstrong

and inclined to follow your own pursuits. For example Adolf Hitler, the Fϋhrer of Germany

during World War II created and sullied the reputation of the mustache he wore. Thus it is

recognizable that one of the times that it is not beneficial to have facial hair, especially that of

a mustache is when running for a political office; this extends from a large scale political

campaign to a smaller, local one.

Another place that it is eminent that people do not have facial hair is in courts.

Journalist Anthony Synnott quoted John Malloy, an Author who wrote Dress for Success,

there Malloy (1976) says, “If you have a client with a beard or a mustache, no matter who is

on the jury or who the judge is, make him cut it off” (cited in Synnott, 1987, p. 390). This is

done in a deliberate attempt to make someone look innocent. Those with facial hair,

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especially a mustache standing out, tend to look rougher. This creates an intentional or

unintentional stereotypical impression in a person’s mind that someone with a mustache is

tough. To a judge or jury, this could make the defendant seem like someone who is willing to

break the rules.

However, it is for this same reason that a number of police officers sport mustaches.

They want people to see them as tough. This severe exterior makes people believe that police

officers are in charge and will succeed in bringing justice upon the criminal.

Positive Connotations

So far only the negative connotations have been discussed. There must surely be a

time and place for the mustache to be worn, and most certainly used to its advantage. When

is it acceptable for a man to have facial hair?

Two professors from separate Universities in Texas, Elizabeth M. Blunk and J. Ann

Reed (1990), did research on the effects of facial hair and employment opportunities. In their

study, Blunk and Reed (1990) took aside both men and women in the hiring management

positions of different companies. Next they showed them the resumes of six individuals.

Each resume explained that the educational abilities and backgrounds of each employee

candidate was basically the same; this way there was no room for discrimination. The six

men only had one difference between them and that was their facial hair. Two of the

candidates were clean shaven, two had a mustache and the other two had a full beard.

Blunk and Reed (1990) then had the subjects rate who they would choose to be hired

and why. The graph below illustrates the results (see tab. 1). In the four categories of

“attractiveness, personality, competency and composure” it is noted that those who had a

beard or a mustache were rated higher in all categories (p.173).

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Table 1: Shows the comparison of bearded, mustached, and clean shaven men and

characteristics for employment (Blunk & Reed, 1990, p. 173).

Blunk and Reed (1990) say, “Men with facial hair were rated more favorably on

characteristics of masculinity, maturity, physical attractiveness, dominance, self-confidence,

nonconformity, courage, and industriousness” (p. 170).

It is obvious that in terms of employment, having facial hair is advantageous. It

increases the perception that people have of one’s intelligence, social abilities and work place

ethics. Having said characteristics increases chances of getting hired and retaining the job.

Conclusion

It is noted from the history of the mustache and the research of the effects of facial

hair there is a definite connection between facial hair and the social influence. It is not

beneficial for those involved with the court system or politics to have facial hair. It would be

advantageous, however, for a man to have facial hair when pursuing a career choice. By

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knowing when to have facial hair and when to cut it off, men can learn how to increase their

public image.

Pop Culture

Pop culture has been both kind and cruel to the mustachioed man. Change in societal

acceptance of the mustache has hinged on political happenings and entertainment influence.

Since the 1960’s, the mustache has been in constant flux of popularity and acceptance. The

1960’s was a time of building for the mustache, and set the tone for the “Golden Age” of

mustaches. The 1970’s ushered in an unprecedented level of acceptance and promotion of

the mustache. The 1980’s served as a warning sign that the mustache was going to be utterly

rejected during the 1990’s. Just as all hope was lost, the new Millennium brought a newfound

love for the upper lip accessory, and the mustache has since gained a strong foothold in the

American Pop culture scene. Due in part to the American Mustache Institute and their

commitment to mustache acceptance and promotion, the mustache shows no sign of slowing

down.

Building a Legacy

The 1960’s in the United States was widely considered an era of new beginnings for the

mustached American. Since culture reflects its idols, The Beatles became the fashion

standard. Ringo Starr, the Beatles’ drummer, introduced the mustache into American pop

culture. Ringo’s mustache is considered one of the catalysts that encouraged widespread

mustache growth in the United States.

Frank Zappa, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, wore the stache with pride

until his death in 1993. Staying true to the upper lip statement, it became an identifying

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trademark that transcended him, living on in the form of a spider named in his honor; the

Pachygnatha zappa.

Upon being inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame, an article surfaced about Frank

Zappa and his iconic mustache influencing scientists to name a spider after the famed rocker.

Zappa is a noun in apposition. This species epithet is given in honor of the twentieth

century composer Frank Zappa (1941-1993), well known for both his serious and

commercial music. The dark grey mark on the ventral side of the abdomen of the

female of this species strikingly resembles the artist's legendary moustache I never

met Frank Zappa personally, but I was very interested in his music in the seventies

and eighties. I saw about ten of his concerts in Brussels (Murkin).

With the mustache firmly entrenched in the 1960’s music culture, the stage was set for the

mustache movement to spread into sports. The 1972 Oakland A’s baseball team would carry

on the proud tradition and bring the mustache to a height never even dreamed of.

The Golden Age

Often regarded as the “Golden Age” of mustaches, (AMI Faculty, 2011) the 1970’s

had much to offer for the mustachioed man. Queen front man Freddy Mercury rocked the

stache to grand effect while Burt Reynolds wore his iconic lip hair during Deliverance—

gaining critical acclaim for his performance as Lewis, the Atlanta Business man. However

neither of the above mentioned men held a candle to what would be described as The

Mustache Gang.

Mustaches were completely absent from the baseball diamond for nearly 50 years

before the 1972 Oakland A’s baseball team grew theirs. The catalysts for the stache were

Reggie Jackson and Roland Fingers. On the first day of spring training for the 1972

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season, Reggie Jackson showed up with a beard. To protest the scraggly, heinous looking

growth, Fingers and a few other players started going without shaving to force Jackson to

shave off his beard—hoping management would force the team to shave (Rollie Fingers

Administration, 2009).

Rather than enforcing the culture of being clean shaven, A’s owner Charles Finley,

(ever the showman who would do anything to sell tickets) offered prize-money to the player

who could best grow and maintain their facial hair until Opening Day—April 15 versus the

Minnesota Twins. Fingers went all out for the monetary incentive offered by Finley and

patterned his moustache after the images of the players of the late 19th century. Taking it

even further, Finley came up with "Mustache Day" at the ballpark, where any fan with a

moustache could get in free (Rollie Fingers Administration, 2009). A few of the other players

went for the bonus but “Rollie” (as Fingers was affectionately known as) won the completion

with his Snidely Whiplash-ish mustache.

Years Better Forgotten

The 1980’s saw a steep decline in mustache acceptability—the 1990’s was a complete

loss for the mustache. Because of the lack of respect paid, these two decades will not be

discussed further in the research paper.

The Mustache Renaissance

After virtually 20 years absent from the pop culture scene, the mustache has been making

a comeback. The organization that is most responsible for the increased awareness is the

American Mustache Institute. “AMI was founded to protect the rights of, and fight

discrimination of mustached Americans by promoting the growth, care and culture of the

mustache” (AMI faculty, 2011). The organization has done just that.

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Dr. John Yeutter, the noted tax expert and Professor of Accounting at Northeastern State

University as well as an AMI advocate, is currently promoting and backing the Stache Act.

The Stache Act offers tax incentives for mustached Americans in the form of a $250

deduction. It is meant to cover expenditures for mustache grooming supplies. The only bad

part of the incentive is the individual is only eligible for the deduction if they itemize (AMI

Faculty, 2011).

To further emphasize the mustached renaissance, the American Mustache Institute has

conducted studies to track the monetary advantages included in maintaining a carpeted upper

lip. The study’s conclusion found by the AMI and Quicken Analytics determined that in fact,

mustached men don't just make a hair more than co-workers, but 8.2 percent more than men

sporting beards and 4.3 percent more than clean-shaven men. Unfortunately, the study also

showed men with mustaches tend to spend 11 percent more and save 3 percent less than their

facial hair-less peers. The study was taken during the first six months of 2009, polling 2,000

men with mustaches, 2,000 men with beards and 2,000 shaven men (Carr, 2009).

Figure 1. Illustrates mustachio styles of the common man. Please note that the “Little

Tramp” is never an acceptable style.

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Conclusion

While the road to enduring acceptance has been long and sometimes arduous, the

mustache has triumphed—setting a shining example of perseverance. The mustache has left a

lasting legacy with history, changed politics, and pop culture, although finicky, cannot exist

without the mustachioed individual. Overall, the human race is forever tied to the upper lip

accouterment—for better or for worse.

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References

AMI Faculty. (2011). AMI’s about us. Retrieved from

http://www.americanmustacheinstitute.org/about-AMI/.

AMI Faculty. (2011). History: The mustached American movement. Retrieved from

http://www.americanmustacheinstitute.org/mustache-information/the-mustahced-

american-movement/.

AMI Faculty. (2011). Stache act: the mustached American tax incentive. Retrieved from

http://www.americanmustacheinstitute.org/stache-passions/tax-incentive/.

Bartlett, R. (1993). Symbolic meanings of hair in the middle ages.

Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 6, (4), pp. 43-60

Blunk, E. M., Reed, J.A., (1990). The influence of facial hair on impression formations.

Social Behavior and Personality, 18(1), 169-176.

Bull, R., Hawkes, C. (1982). Judging politicians by their faces. Political Studies, 30(1), 95-

101.

Carr, E. (2009). Men with mustaches make more. (October 10, 2009). Retrieved from

www.nbcnewyork.com.

Conklin, M. (2003). 90 Chin music: The art and science of pitchers' facial hair. Retrieved

from http://www.chicagotribune.com/.

Dutton, P. E. (2004). Charlemagne’s mustache and other cultural clusters of a dark age.

New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

McKay, K., McKay, B. (October 31, 2011). The Art of Manliness Mustache Style Guide. Art

of Manliness. Retrieved from http://www.artofmanliness.com.

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Murkin, A. (n.d.). Rock and roll hall of fame induction. Retrieved from

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andymurkin/Resources/MusicRes/ZapRes/

natphen.html.

Oldstone-Moore, C. (2005). The beard movement in Victorian Britain. Victorian Studies, 48,

(1), 7-34.

Oldstone-Moore, C. (2011). Mustaches and masculine codes in the early twentieth century.

Journal of Social History, 45(1), 47-60.

Rock and roll mustaches. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.cracked.com.

Rollie Fingers Adminstration. (2009). Biography. Retrieved from

http://rfingers34.com/rollie-fingers-biography/.

Synnott, A. (1987). Shame and glory: A sociology of hair. The British Journal of Sociology,

38(3), 381-413.

Walton, S. (2008). From squalid impropriety to manly respectability: The revival of beards,

mustaches and martial values in the 1850s in England. Nineteenth-Century Contexts,

30(3), 229-245.

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