A moustache (UK: /məˈstɑːʃ/; American English: mustache, /ˈmʌstæʃ/)[1] is facial hair grown on the upper lip.




Research done on this subject has noticed that the prevalence of moustaches and facial hair in general rise and fall according to the saturation of the marriage market.[5] Thus, the nuances of the density and thickness of the moustache or beard may help to convey androgen levels or age.

Moustache popularity in the 19th century peaked in the 1880s and 1890s coinciding with a popularity in the military virtues of the day.[6]


Shaving with stone razors was technologically possible from Neolithic times. A mustache is depicted on a statue of the 4th Dynasty Egyptian prince Rahotep (c. 2550 BC). Another ancient portrait showing a shaved man with a moustache is an ancient Iranian (Scythian) horseman from 300 BC.

Development and care

The moustache forms its own stage in the development of facial hair in adolescent males.[9]

As with most human biological processes, this specific order may vary among some individuals depending on one's genetic heritage or environment.[10][11]



The longest moustache measures 4.29 m (14 ft) and belongs to Ram Singh Chauhan (India). It was measured on the set of the Italian TV show "Lo Show dei Record" in Rome, Italy, on 4 March 2010.[13]


The World Beard and Moustache Championships 2007 had six sub-categories for moustaches:[14]

  • Natural – Moustache may be styled without aids.

Other types of moustache include:

Occurrence and perceptions

Like many other fashion trends, the moustache is subject to shifting popularity through time. Though modern culture often associates moustaches with men of the Victorian Era, Susan Walton shows that at the start of the Victorian Era facial hair was "viewed with distaste" and that the moustache was considered the mark of an artist or revolutionary, both of which remained on the social fringe at the time.[15] This is supported by the fact that only one Member of Parliament sported facial hair from the years 1841-47.[15] However, by the 1860s, this had changed and moustaches became wildly popular, even among distinguished men, but by the end of the century, facial hair became passé once more.[15] Though one cannot be entirely sure as to the cause of such changes, Walton speculates that the rise of the facial hair trend was due largely in part to the impending war against Russia, and the belief that moustaches and beards projected a more 'manly' image, which was brought about by the so-called 'rebranding' of the British military and the rehabilitation of military virtues.[15] Moustaches became a defining trait of the British soldier, and until 1916, no enlisted soldier was permitted to shave his upper lip.[16] However, the next generation of men perceived facial hair, such as moustaches, to be an outdated emblem of masculinity and therefore there was a dramatic decline in the moustache trend and a clean-shaven face became the mark of a modern man.[15]


According to a study performed by Nigel Barber, results have shown a strong correlation between a good marriage market for women and an increased number of moustaches worn by the male population.[17] By comparing the number of males pictured in Illustrated London News sporting a moustache against the ratio of single women to single men, the similar trends in the two over the years would suggest that these two factors are correlated.[17] Barber suggests that this correlation may be due to the fact that men with moustaches are perceived to be more attractive, industrious, creative, masculine, dominant and mature by both men and women,[17] as supported by the research conducted by Hellström and Tekle.[18] Barber suggests that these perceived traits would influence a woman's choice of husband as they would suggest a high reproductive and biological qualities, and a capacity to invest in children, so when males must compete heavily for marriage they are more likely to grow a moustache in an attempt to project these qualities.[17] This theory is also supported by the correlation between beard fashion and women wearing long dresses, as shown by Robinson's study,[19] which then relates to the correlation between dress fashion and the marriage market, as shown in Barber's 1999 study.[20]

Age perception

The moustache and other forms of facial hair are globally understood to be signs of the post-pubescent male;[21] however, those with moustaches are perceived to be older than those who are clean-shaven of the same age.[21] This was determined by manipulating a photo of six male subjects, with varying levels of baldness, to have moustaches and beards and then asking undergraduate college students to rate both the photos of the men with facial hair and without facial hair in terms of social maturity, aggression, age, appeasement, and attractiveness. Regardless of how bald the subject was, the results found in relation to the perception of moustaches remained constant. Although males with facial hair were perceived, in general, to be older than the same subject pictured without facial hair,[22] the moustached subjects were also perceived to be far less socially mature.[21] The decreased perception of social maturity of the men with moustaches may partially be due to the increase in the perception of aggression in the moustachioed men,[21] as aggression is incompatible with social maturity.[21]


In a study performed by J. A. Reed and E. M. Blunk, persons in management positions were shown to positively perceive, and therefore be more likely to hire, men with facial hair.[23] Although men with beards over all scored better than men with only moustaches, the moustached men scored much higher than those men who were clean-shaven.[23] In this experiment, 228 persons, both male and female, who held management positions that made hiring decisions were shown ink sketches of six male job applicants. The men in these ink sketches ranged from clean-shaven, to moustachioed, to bearded. The men with facial hair were rated higher by the employers on aspects of masculinity, maturity, physical attractiveness, dominance, self-confidence, nonconformity, courage, industriousness, enthusiasm, intelligence, sincerity, and general competency.[23] The results were found to be fairly similar for both female and male employers, which Reed and Blunk suggest would imply that gender does not factor into one's perceptions of a moustache on a male applicant.[23] However, Blunk and Reed also stipulate that the meaning and acceptability of facial hair does change depending on the time period. However, the studies performed by Hellström & Tekle[18] and also the studies performed by Klapprott[24] would suggest that moustaches are not favourable to all professions as it has been shown that clean-shaven men are seen as more reliable in roles such as salesmen and professors. Other studies have suggested that acceptability of facial hair may vary depending on culture and location, as in a study conducted in Brazil, clean-shaven men were preferred by personnel managers over applicants who were bearded, goateed, or moustached.[25]


African-American men tend to have a higher percentage of wearing a mustache compared to Caucasian men in the United States: "A far greater percentage of African-American males than white males wear mustaches today and have always worn mustaches."[26]


In Western culture, it has been shown that women dislike men who displayed a visible moustache or beard, but preferred men who had a visible hint of a beard such as stubble (often known as a five-o-clock shadow) over those who were clean-shaven.[27] This supports the idea that in Western culture, females prefer men who have the capability to cultivate facial hair, such as a moustache, but choose not to. However some researchers have suggested that it is possible that in ecologies in which physical aggressiveness is more adaptive than cooperation, bearded men might be preferred by women.[21] However, varying opinion on moustaches is not reserved to international cultural differences as even within the US, there have been discrepancies observed on female preference of male facial hair as Freedman's study suggested that women studying at the University of Chicago preferred men with facial hair because they perceived them to be more masculine, sophisticated and mature than clean-shaven men.[28] Similarly, a study performed by Kenny and Fletcher at Memphis State University, which is largely a commuter school and usually is regarded as more conventional than the University of Chicago, suggested that men with facial hair such as moustaches and beards, were perceived as stronger and more masculine by female students.[29] However, the study performed by Feinman and Gill would suggest that this reaction to facial hair is not nationwide, as women studying in the state of Wyoming showed a marked preference for clean-shaven men over men with facial hair.[30] Some accredit this difference to the difference between region, rurality, and political and social conservatism between the various studies.[30] Thus it can be seen that even within the US, there are slight variations in the perceptions of moustaches.








Even though facial grooming is not specifically mentioned within the Qur'an, numerous narrations of hadith (sayings of Muhammad) address personal hygiene, including facial hair maintenance.[32] In one such example, Muhammad advised that men must grow beards, and as to moustaches, cut the longer hairs as to not let them cover the upper lips (as this is the Fitra—the origin).[33] Thus, growing a beard while keeping the moustache short and trimmed is a well-established tradition in many Muslim societies.[32]

Notable moustaches



In some cases, the moustache is so prominently identified with a single individual that it could identify him without any further identifying traits. For example, Kaiser Wilhelm II's moustache, grossly exaggerated, featured prominently in Triple Entente propaganda. Other notable individuals are Hitler, Mugabe and Steve Harvey. In other cases, such as those of Charlie Chaplin and Groucho Marx, the moustache in question was artificial for most of the wearer's life.

In art, entertainment, and media


  • Moustache was the alias name of a French comic actor, François-Alexandre Galipedes (b. February 14, 1929 in Paris, France – d. March 25, 1987 in Arpajon, Essonne, France), known for his roles in Paris Blues (1961), How to Steal a Million (1966), and Zorro (1975)[35]

Fictional characters

  • Moustaches have long been used by artists to make characters distinctive, as with Charlie Chan, the video game character Mario, Hercule Poirot, or Snidely Whiplash.
  • Sharabi movie from Bollywood had a character Natthulal whose moustache became a legend. Munchhen hon to Natthulal jaisi, warna na hon (Moustaches should be like Natthulal's or shouldn't be at all) became one of the most quoted dialogue.
  • At least one fictional moustache has been so notable that a whole style has been named after it: the Fu Manchu moustache.


Visual art


In the military

  • In the Indian Army, most senior rifle Rajputana regiment soldiers have moustaches,[38][39][40] and the Rajputana Moustache is a symbol of dignity, caste status, and the spirit of Rajput soldiers.[41]
  • Moustaches are also noted among U.S. Army armour and cavalry soldiers.[42]
  • Moustaches were a compulsory part of the British Army uniform until 1916, and were quite often worn by soldiers later in the Falklands Campaign.

In sport

See also


  2. μύσταξ, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
  3. μύλλον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
  4. OED s.v. "moustache", "mustachio"; Encyclopædia Britannica Online – Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary
  8. Safar Faraji, Yarsan. "Another Yarsan follower's mustaches were shaved".
  10. Chumlea, 1982
  12. "Surgery offers chance at perfect moustache". 3 News NZ. 6 December 2012.
  13. "Guinness World records".
  14. "The World Beard & Moustache Championships". Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  26. "Archives -".
  34. "Longest moustache". 4 March 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  35. Moustache on IMDb
  38. "MOUSTACHE MAKES THE MAN". The Telegraph. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  48. Hartnett, Sean (5 December 2014). "Celebrated Scrapper George Parros Made The Most Of His NHL Life". XN Sports. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
