Post on 21-Apr-2018
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
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http://www.americanmustacheinstitute.org/about-AMI/.
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american-movement/.
AMI Faculty. (2011). Stache act: the mustached American tax incentive. Retrieved from
http://www.americanmustacheinstitute.org/stache-passions/tax-incentive/.
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Murkin, A. (n.d.). Rock and roll hall of fame induction. Retrieved from
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Synnott, A. (1987). Shame and glory: A sociology of hair. The British Journal of Sociology,
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