Joseph Stalin, one of the most famous historical figures with a moustache

For the Swedish heavy metal band, see Mustasch. Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party Mustasch is a Heavy metal band formed in fall 1998 by Ralf Gyllenhammar Hannes Hansson Mats Hansson and Mats Johansson on the Mustasch farm on the island Orust

A moustache (or mustache) is facial hair grown on the upper lip. Facial hair is a Secondary sex characteristic in human Males Many Men start developing facial hair in the later years of Puberty, approximately Lips are a visible body part at the mouth of humans and many animals Often the term implies that the wearer grows only upper-lip hair while shaving the hair on his chin and cheeks. Growth of all facial hair would constitute a beard.

Etymology

The word Moustache comes to the English language via the Middle French Moustache which in turn is derived from the Old Italian Mustacchio which originates from the Middle Greek Moustaki, a diminutive of Greek mystak-, mystax upper lip, mustache. Middle French (le moyen français is a historical division of the French language which covers the period from (roughly 1340 to 1611. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Medieval Greek (Μεσαιωνική Ελληνική is a linguistic term that describes the fourth period in the history of the Greek language. A diminutive is a formation of a Word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning smallness of the object or quality named encapsulation intimacy or endearment ^[1]

Vernacular names

Some common abbreviations for the moustache are stache, tache, tash, and mo.

There are numerous slang terms for the moustache mostly reflecting its resemblance to a variety of animals, its tendency to retain food and drink or its association with sexual activity, for example nose neighbor, Lady Tickler, trash stash, fanny duster, nose bug and mobile tea strainer.

History

Horseman, Pazyryk felt artifact, ca. The Pazyryk (Пазарык is the name of an ancient Nomadic people who lived in the Altai Mountains lying in Siberian Russia south of the modern city 300 BC. horseman with wonsal style moustache and partially shaved head

Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche

General Lew Wallace wore a full moustache and long goatee. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15 1844 August 25 1900 ( was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist Lewis "Lew" Wallace ( April 10, 1827 February 15, 1905) was a lawyer governor Union general in the American Civil

Shaving with stone razors was technologically possible from Neolithic times but the oldest portrait showing a shaved man with a mustache is a Scythian horseman from 300 BC. The Scythians or Scyths (Σκύθες Σκύθοι were an Iranian speaking people of horse-riding Nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic

In more modern history, moustaches have been worn by military men. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking The number of nations, regiments and ranks were equalled only by the number of styles and variations. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in Armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines Generally, the younger men and lower ranks wore the smaller and less elaborate moustaches. As a man advanced in rank, his moustache would become thicker and bushier, until he was permitted to wear a full beard.

In Western cultures women generally avoid the growth of facial hair; though many are capable, the majority of these women would use some form of depilation to remove it. However there are some women who choose to embrace this growth, often in the form of thin moustaches. The artist Frida Kahlo famously depicted herself with both a moustache and a unibrow. Frida Kahlo (July 6 1907 – July 13 1954 was a Mexican painter, who has achieved great international popularity Synophrys, also known as a This tradition is followed by some contemporary women in the arts. ^[2][3][4]

An English moustache was formerly used in melodramas, movies and comic books as a shorthand indication of villainy. Melodrama refers to theatre in which music is used to increase the spectator's emotional response or to suggest character types A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative Snidely Whiplash, for example, was characterized by his moustache and his cape. Snidely Whiplash is the Cartoon Archvillain to Dudley Do-Right in the tongue-in-cheek Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties segments A cape is a type of Clothing, and can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment such as a Poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back

In male adolescence

The moustache forms its own stage in the development of facial hair in adolescent males. Facial hair is a Secondary sex characteristic in human Males Many Men start developing facial hair in the later years of Puberty, approximately ^[5] Facial hair in males normally appears in a specific order during puberty:

• The first facial hair to appear tends to grow 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.

As with most human biological processes, this specific order may vary among some individuals depending on one's genetic heritage and although less prominent, one's environment which can also play a role in development.

Care

Most men with a normal or strong beard tend it daily, by shaving the hair of the chin and cheeks, to prevent it from becoming a full beard. Shaving is the removal of hair by using Razor or any other kind of bladed implement to slice it down to the level of the skin In the Human anatomy, the chin is the lowermost part of the Face. Cheeks ( Latin: buccae) constitute the area of the Face below the Eyes and between the Nose and the left or right Ear A variety of tools have been developed for the care moustachees, including moustache wax, moustache nets (snoods), moustache brushes, moustache combs and moustache scissors. ‎ Moustache wax is a stiff Pomade applied to a Moustache as a grooming aid to hold the hairs in place especially at the extremities "Paintbrush" redirects here For other uses see Paintbrush (disambiguation. A comb is a device made of solid material generally flat always toothed and is used in hair care for straightening and cleaning hair or other fibers Scissors are hand operated cutting instruments consisting of a pair of Metal Blades connected in such a way that the blades meet and cut materials placed

Styles

At The World Beard & Moustache Championships 2007 there were 6 subcategories in the moustache category:^[6]

• Natural -Moustache may be styled but without aids. The hairs are allowed to start growing from up to a maximum of 1. 5 cm beyond the end of the upper lip. No aids are allowed.
• Hungarian - Big and bushy, beginning from the middle of the upper lip and pulled to the side. The hairs are allowed to start growing from up to a maximum of 1. 5 cm beyond the end of the upper lip. Aids are allowed.
• Dalí - narrow, long points bent or curved steeply upward; areas past the corner of the mouth must be shaved. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech 1st Marquis of Púbol (May 11 1904 &ndash January 23 1989 was a Spanish Catalan Surrealist Artificial styling aids needed. Named after Salvador Dalí who was known to sport such a style in his later days. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech 1st Marquis of Púbol (May 11 1904 &ndash January 23 1989 was a Spanish Catalan Surrealist
• 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 usually shaved. The English moustache is a Moustache style that is narrow beginning at the middle of the upper lip the whiskers are very long and pulled to the side slightly curled the Artificial styling may be needed.
• Imperial - whiskers growing from both the upper lip and cheeks, curled upward (distinct from the royale, or impériale)
• Freestyle - All moustaches that do not match other classes. In the traditional taxonomy of facial hair a goatee is a Beard formed by a tuft of hair on the chin The hairs are allowed to start growing from up to a maximum of 1. 5 cm beyond the end of the upper lip. Aids are allowed.

Other types of moustache include:

• Fu Manchu - long, downward pointing ends, generally beyond the chin;
• 'Pancho Villa' moustache - similar to the Fu Manchu but thicker; also known as a "droopy moustache", generally much more so than that normally worn by the historical Pancho Villa. A Fu Manchu mustache is a full Mustache that extends downward past the lips and on either side of the chin Doroteo Arango Arámbula ( June 5 1878 &ndash July 20 1923) better known as Francisco or " Pancho " Villa
• Handlebar - bushy, with small upward pointing ends. A handlebar moustache is a Moustache with particularly lengthy often graspable extremities See baseball pitcher Rollie Fingers. Roland Glen Fingers (born August 25, 1946, in Steubenville Ohio) is a former Relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Also known as a "spaghetti moustache", because of its stereotypical association with Italian men.
• Horseshoe - Often confused with the Fu Manchu style, the horseshoe was possibly popularized by modern cowboys and consists of a full moustache with vertical extensions from the corners of the lips down to the jawline and resembling an upside-down horseshoe. A cowboy is an animal Herder who tends Cattle on Ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback and often performs a multitude of A horseshoe is a U-shaped item made of metal or of modern synthetic materials nailed or glued to the Hooves of Horses and some other Draught
• Taylor moustache - a thin row of fine dark hairs along the upper lip. Sometimes known as the Lilibrow.
• Pencil moustache - narrow, straight and thin like a pencil, closely clipped, outlining the upper lip, with a wide shaven gap between the nose and moustache. A pencil is a Writing or Drawing instrument consisting of a thin stick of Pigment (usually Graphite, but can also be coloured pigment or Also known as a Mouthbrow, worn by John Waters. John Samuel Waters Jr (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, Actor, Writer, Celebrity,
• Toothbrush - thick, but shaved except for about an inch (2. A Toothbrush moustache (also called a Hitler moustache) is a bushy Moustache, shaved at the edges except for three to five centimetres 5 cm) in the center; associated with Adolf Hitler, Charlie Chaplin and Robert Mugabe. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately
• Walrus - bushy, hanging down over the lips, often entirely covering the mouth. The walrus style of Moustache is bushy thick and droops down over the mouth in a fashion similar to the whiskers on the upper lip of a Walrus Worn by Wilford Brimley
• The GG - bushy hair grown only over the corners of the mouth, shaved in the middle. Allen Wilford Brimley (born September 27 1934 in Salt Lake City Utah) is an American Actor. Named after musician and performing artist GG Allin, the most well-known wearer of the style. Kevin Michael "GG" Allin ( 29 August 1956 &ndash 29 June 1993) was a Punk rock Singer-songwriter and Musician It is a shortened version of the one worn by Ghengis Khan. Genghis Khan ( or;, Chinggis Khaan, ʧiŋgɪs χaːŋ Činggis Qaɣan; 1162–1227 born (meaning "ironworker" was the Mongol founder
• The 'Chops' - similar to the horseshoe, varying from somewhat thin to somewhat bushy, with a more pronounced open-bottomed-square shape. This style is often seen on characterizations of police and highway patrolmen.

Growing competitions

Etching of Grutte Pier with a walrus-moustache

In North America and the UK, many groups of men (co-workers, friends, and students) sometimes partake in moustache growing competitions. The ultimate goal is to grow the most full and well-groomed moustache in the least amount of time, or over a fixed period.

In more serious competitions, the moustaches are seen as a symbol of male virility and the winner is usually seen as the most manly of the competitors. Some competitions are run as charity fund-raising events, with participants being sponsored for their moustache-growing and the money raised being donated to a selected cause. The rules for such competitions vary, but often include "forfeits" (eg donation-matching) for competitors who shave off their moustaches before the end of the competition.

• "Movember" is a charity event held each year in November. Movember (a Portmanteau of the words ' Moustache ' and ' November ' is an annual month-long event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November It aims to promote and raise awareness of Men's Health issues, notably prostate cancer. ^[7]
• World Beard and Moustache Championships, international biennial competition. The World Beard and Moustache Championships is a biennial competition in which men with Beards and Moustaches display lengthy highly-styled facial hair

In the early 1970s, Major League Baseball players seldom, if ever, wore facial hair. The practice had been widespread in the 19th Century, but by the early 20th Century it was rare for a player to sport a mustache or beard. As detailed in the book Mustache Gang, Oakland Athletics' eccentric owner Charlie Finley decided to hold a mustache-growing contest within his team. The Oakland Athletics are a professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. When the A's faced the Cincinnati Reds, whose team rules forbade facial hair, in the 1972 World Series, facial hair was still sufficiently unusual in baseball that the Series was dubbed by media as "The hairs vs. The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati Ohio, USA For other events named "World Series" see World Series (disambiguation. the squares". Thanks in part to the on-field success of the A's in the early 1970s, along with changing fashions, facial hair has again become very common among baseball players in the intervening years.

Notable examples

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. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15 1844 August 25 1900 ( was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist In some cases, such as with Groucho Marx and Charlie Chaplin, the moustache in question was not even real for most of their lives.

Frank Zappa in concert with his trademark moustache. Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director

The American composer and musician Frank Zappa is also very closely associated with his trademark imperial moustache. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director Zappa became so identifiable by his moustache that after his death its image was actually copyrighted by the Zappa Family Trust.

Other famous and praised musicians famous for sporting moustaches at some time include George Harrison, Dennis DeYoung, Steve Perry, Freddie Mercury, John Oates, Chuck Panozzo, and James Young (JY). George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001 was an English rock Guitarist Singer - Songwriter, Author Dennis DeYoung (born February 18, 1947) is an American singer Songwriter, Musician and producer best known for being a founding The name Steve Perry may refer to any of the following Steve Perry (musician, solo artist and the former lead singer of the band Journey Steve Perry Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991 was a Zanzibar -born British Musician, best known as the lead John William Oates (born April 7, 1949 in New York) is an American Musician and producer best known as the mustachioed Chuck Panozzo (born Charles Salvatore Panozzo, on September 20, 1948, in Chicago) is a bass player James Young ( 13 July, 1811 &ndash May 13, 1883) was a Scottish chemist best known for his method of distilling Paraffin

The longest recorded moustache belongs to Bajansinh Juwansinh Gurjar of Ahmedabad, India. Ahmedabad (અમદાવાદ Amdāvād, Hindi: अहमदाबाद) is the largest city in It had not been cut for 22 years and was 12 feet 6 inches long in 2004. ^[8]

U. S. Air Force ace Robin Olds became celebrated for a flowing handlebar moustache he grew while commanding the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing "Wolfpack" during the Vietnam War, and when forced to shave it by his superior became the source of an Air Force tradition known as "Moustache March". Robin Olds (July 14 1922 – June 14 2007 was an American Fighter pilot and general officer in the U ^[9]

Another famous moustache is the one of former Gonzaga basketball player and current Charlotte Bobcat Adam Morrison. Adam John Morrison (born July 19 1984, in Glendive, Montana) is an American professional Basketball player with the He is actually nicknamed The Stache for it.

Billionaire-aviator Howard Hughes was known for his iconic pencil moustache, which he grew after a 1946 plane crash. Howard Robard Hughes Jr (December 24 1905 – April 5 1976 was an American Aviator, Industrialist, Film producer / director, Philanthropist

John L. Sullivan, the last bare knuckle heavyweight boxing champion and first gloved boxing heavyweight champion, was well known for sporting a handlebar mustache. John Lawrence Sullivan (October 15 1858 &ndash February 2 1918 was recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing from February 7 1882 to 1892 and Many iconic photos and paintings of Sullivan feature him with a handlebar mustache.

In art and fiction

Duchamp's parody of the Mona Lisa adds a goatee and moustache. Marcel Duchamp (maʀsɛl dyˈʃɑ̃ (28 July 1887 &ndash 2 October 1968 was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda) is a 16th century portrait painted in oil on a Poplar panel by In the traditional taxonomy of facial hair a goatee is a Beard formed by a tuft of hair on the chin

Moustaches have long been used by artists to make characters distinctive as with Snidely Whiplash and Dick Dastardly, the video game character Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog villain Dr. Robotnik, and Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot. Snidely Whiplash is the Cartoon Archvillain to Dudley Do-Right in the tongue-in-cheek Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties segments Dick Dastardly is a Fictional character and Antagonist who appeared in various Animated series by Hanna-Barbera Productions is a Fictional character created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Video Games See also [[List of games featuring Sonic the Hedgehog]] Nearly all games in the series feature a teenage hedgehog named "Sonic the Hedgehog" also known by his alias, is a video game character and main Antagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series They have also been used to make a social or political point as with Marcel Duchamp's parody of the Mona Lisa which adds a goatee and moustache or the moustachioed self portraits of Frida Kahlo. Marcel Duchamp (maʀsɛl dyˈʃɑ̃ (28 July 1887 &ndash 2 October 1968 was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda) is a 16th century portrait painted in oil on a Poplar panel by Frida Kahlo (July 6 1907 – July 13 1954 was a Mexican painter, who has achieved great international popularity At least one fictional moustache has been so notable that a whole style has been named after it, the Fu Manchu moustache. A Fu Manchu mustache is a full Mustache that extends downward past the lips and on either side of the chin However, the most notable moustache in art, and history for that matter, belonged to Salvador Dalí. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech 1st Marquis of Púbol (May 11 1904 &ndash January 23 1989 was a Spanish Catalan Surrealist He dedicated paintings to it, and even published a book of just his moustache.

See also

• Beard
• Goatee
• Sideburns
• Whiskers
• Bearded woman
• List of types of facial hair
• American Mustache Insitute

Gallery

References

External links

• [http://gloriusmustache.com The Glorius Mustache Challenge: A Film About The Under 30 Mustache
• Fuzzy Ink: It'll Grow On You!
• Moustache grooming with The Chap magazine
• Shana Ting Lipton's moustache article for Salon.com
• Site "Stache men - native pueblo" - moustache in society, history as a matter of masculine self-identification
• Video "Bristled Inspiration" - A cinematic look at the profound effect a moustache can have.
• Moustache Information and Community Site
• American Mustache Institute