RUNNING HEAD: Mustache 0

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 European influence—from Charlemagne to the

founding of the American Mustache Institute.

Historical Aspect

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 transition to the age group beyond

infants and the very young” (p. 47).

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

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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). 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.

Changed 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 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).

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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 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, pp. 45-46).

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

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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, p. 46). 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.

Mustache Reinstated

Up until the 1850s, 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

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luggage? 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!!”

Figure 1 illustrates the social view of beards just before they made their full

comeback into acceptable society in the 1850s, in the time referred to as the “Mustache

revolution.” This time period reflects the societal issues of the day. It 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?” (para. 5). 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.

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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 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” (p. 233).

According to Walton, in the 1850s 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 (pp. 235-239).

Social Influence

Facial hair holds 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

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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. In 1854 David said this of

a beard and a mustache, “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 then 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 based 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, 2011, p.51). This

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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.

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 compared the facial

features of the candidates, to which political groups people perceived them as being

affiliated with. Bull and Hawkes concluded that, “…it is likely that a politician’s physical

appearance influences the number of election votes he receives” (p. 95).

Conservatives were thought to be the ones with finer features. The Labour group

members were expected to have a harsher look. The finer, cleaner features promoted

intelligence while the harsh look promoted rashness (p.96). Thus it can be inferred that

because the mustache holds a factor in facial features and attractiveness, facial hair can

be an influencing factor when creating perceptions of politicians.

From these two studies, it can be gathered that a politician anywhere in the

western culture should 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 (AMI, 2012a). 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

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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, 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.

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 in Texas, Elizabeth M. Blunk and J. Ann Reed (1990), did

research on the effects of facial hair and employment opportunities. In their study, Reed

and Blunk (1990) took aside both men and women in the hiring management positions of

different companies. Next they showed them the résumés of six individuals. Each résumé

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. Reed and Blunk

(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 (Reed & Blunk, 1990, p. 173).

Reed and Blunk (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 can be advantageous

if used correctly. It increases the perception that people have of one’s intelligence, social

abilities and work place ethics. Having these characteristics increases chances of getting

hired and retaining the job.

It is revealed from the history of the mustache and research on the effects of facial

hair there is a definite connection between facial hair and the social influence it carries. 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 knowing when to have facial hair and when to cut it off, men can learn how to

increase their public image.

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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 1960s, the mustache has been in constant flux of popularity and

acceptance. The 1960s was a time of building for the mustache, and set the tone for the

“Golden Age” (AMI Faculty 2011a) of mustaches. The 1970s ushered in an

unprecedented level of acceptance and promotion of the mustache. The 1980s served as a

warning sign that the mustache was going to be utterly rejected during the 1990s. 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.

New Beginnings

The 1960s 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 trademark that transcended him, living on in the form of a spider named in his

honor; the Pachygnatha zappa.

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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 (Holdship, 1995, p. 6).

With the mustache firmly entrenched in the 1960s 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.

Golden Age

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

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

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

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,

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, 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.

Bleak Years

The 1980s saw a steep decline in mustache acceptability—the 1990s 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.

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,

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

culture of the mustache” (AMI Faculty, 2011b). The organization has done just that.

Dr. John Yeutter, 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, 2011c).

Figure 2. Illustrates mustachio styles of the common man. Please note that the “Little

Tramp” is never an acceptable style. (Art of Manliness, 2012)

Further evidence to support the mustache renaissance was found when a study,

conducted by the American Mustache Institute, found that on average the

mustached man earned more than his clean shaven co-workers. The study’s

conclusion, by Quicken Analytics (who was commissioned by AMI), found that not

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only do mustached men make more—it’s a whopping 8.2 percent more than men

exhibiting beards, while both bearded and mustached men made 4.3 percent more

than clean-shaven men. However, mustached men spend 11 percent more and save

3 percent less than their facial hair-less peers (not a good thing considering the

current economy). 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). Mustaches are here to stay, and it looks like it pays to grow the stache too.

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

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

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

american-movement/.

AMI Faculty. (2011c). Stache act: The mustached American tax incentive. Retrieved

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

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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.

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

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html.

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Studies, 48, (1), 7-34.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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