Man Travel and the Meaning of the Moustache
photo by flickr user lowtech511
Throughout history, the moustache (also known as mustache, ’stache and mo) has been much more than a hairy upper lip. It is commonly said that a man’s moustache reflects climate, custom, religious belief and personal taste, but a ’stache also symbolizes honor (in the early Ottoman Arab East you insulted a man’s mother, but never his moustache) manhood (mos for men on the island of Crete) and wisdom (Confucius).
Tacky and Taboo
Past and present, moustaches have been persecuted. Banned in ancient Egypt, taxed by Peter the Great, moustaches have been often wrongfully demonized. The Fu Manchu style ’stache was sported by countless villains in literature and film. The Toothbrush, which graced the upper lip of Charlie Chaplin, was made taboo by Adolf Hitler.
photo by flickr user
More recently, an Indian hair guide declared facial hair unfashionable–this in the country of the world record holder for longest moustache (12 feet, 6 inches). And in July, Brazilians staged a moustache strike, in which people were urged to grow moustaches, post photos of themselves online and refuse to shave until José Sarney, Brazil´s mustachioed senate president accused of nepotism and embezzlement, resigned.
Moustache Awareness
From time to time, moustaches are celebrated rather than damned. Movember, a charity project in which men grow moustaches in November to raise awareness and money in support of men´s health issues, particularly prostate and testicular cancer, has taken sprouted in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Spain, New Zealand and Australia. Every other year, the World Beard and Mustache Championships take place, most recently this past May in Alaska. Competitors compete in six moustache categories, including Imperial, Hungarian and Dali.
photo by flickr user Steve Weaver
Have Moustache, Will Travel
Viva Man Travel believes that facial hair is an ideal enhancement to the traveling man’s appearance. In addition to looking more manly, you can save weight, space and money by leaving cans of shaving cream, bottles of aftershave, blades, and bulky electric razors at home. Beards are easy to cultivate as they need very little tending. But the moustache, which requires more concerted grooming, presents the man traveler with something that he inherently seeks in his globetrotting adventures: a challenge. Is your upper lip ready to man up?
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