# Why don't many Americans keep moustache? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 13, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950 "2003-11-13T01:59:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/21 "2003-11-13T07:18:50Z")
No such Indiana law, **antechinus**. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/22 "2003-11-13T07:37:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny Bravo \* > \*\*Because we know we can’t compete with those [damn Germans](http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/). \*\* Don’t mention the war! ---
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/23 "2003-11-13T08:19:44Z")
My SO has this goatee and DAY-UM! He’s my sexy pirate/ and swashbucklin’ manly man stud!! YUMMY!! He’s got long hair, too. I’m melting… ---
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/24 "2003-11-13T08:20:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > \*\*Don’t mention the war! \*\* I wanna have your offspring! Fawlty Towers!!! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/25 "2003-11-13T08:43:17Z")
I started getting facial hair when I was seventeen, and I didn’t start shaving regularly until… last March, actually. I still have the goat, though. Haven’t seen my chin in ten years. I’ve also only been carded five times in my entire life. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/26 "2003-11-13T08:49:12Z")
I’ve always associated the big bushy moustache with no beard with gays, for some reason, though when I think about it I know more straights than gays with that style of facial hair. I had a moustache along with my beard, but I shaved it because I was sick of getting food and drink in it. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/27 "2003-11-13T11:59:30Z")
> [@](#): > > No kidding about the Amish folks? Does that go for Mennonite, too? And did either wear moustaches before a couple hundred years ago? I ask, because I’ve noticed the trend, but always wondered what caused it. Yes it is true for Amish and also for Mennonites (who are branches of the same Reform movement). My “couple of hundred” years was simply a casual reference: they have _always_ eschewed mustaches. (Of course, the Amish are only 300 years old. ) One of the points of separation when Jakob Ammann broke from the Mennonites in the 1690s was his insistence that men not trim their beards. Today, some Mennonites (in my area) wear beards similar to the Amish, but I do not know what the general rule is. However, as far as I know, the avoidance of mustaches goes back to a reaction against the military classes of the 16th century. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/28 "2003-11-13T12:16:44Z")
My friend’s father ran for public office in Pensacola about seven years ago. His campaign manager told him he should shave his moustache/beard because: “people think a man with facial hair has something to hide.” ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/29 "2003-11-13T12:46:04Z")
I am shaved bald. It wasn’t until I shaved my head that I realized that when bald, you HAVE to grow a goatee. Rules is rules… ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/30 "2003-11-13T12:59:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SunTzu2U \* > \*\* Brings to mind Snidely Whiplash vs. Dudley Dowright and Penelope \*\* Not Penelope, it’s Nell… Nell Fenwick… Inspector Fenwick’s daughter. I wish I could come up with a non-embarrassing reason for knowing that… ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/31 "2003-11-13T13:41:36Z")
> [@](#): > > I wish I could come up with a non-embarrassing reason for knowing that… As an attentive parent, you took the time to review _all_ the television your child(ren) watch(ed)? ---
**Author:** ![SunTzu2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@SunTzu2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunTzu2U)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/32 "2003-11-13T14:52:25Z")
I’m sorry I got confused on that Who\_me. I was thinking of two different cartoons with evil mustached characters. Penelope Pittstop was always in trouble with \_\_\_\_\_\_ and his dog Smedley. Please fill in the blanks for me. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/33 "2003-11-13T15:11:14Z")
I grew a 'stache in 1969, when it was a very “in” thing to do, and a lot of people realized that a guy with a 'stache is way hotter than one without. My employer at the time gave me an ultimatum: lose the 'stache or lose your job (my appearance had nothing to do with my job). I happily lost the job, and haven’t seen my upper lip since. I had a full beard until '91, and since then have an on-again-off-again goatee. I still think a guy with facial hair is \*usually \*a lot sexier than one with a bare face, but I’ve known exceptions. My partner has a 'stache/goatee, but has to avoid stubble, because I’m very sensitive “down there.” And, yes, during the 80s it was sort of a gay thing; now I suppose it’s an older-gay thing. And I’ve also noticed that when a guy over 40 shaves off his facial hair, it makes him look older. ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/34 "2003-11-13T15:23:15Z")
Certain “consultants” insist Americans either hate mustaches or somehow distrust those who wear them (a crock, IMHO). TV consultants routinely insist that talent forego facial hair. For example, Gregg Jarrett, currently with FNC (Fairlyunbalanced News Channel), used to have a magnificent mustache and, given his thin upper lip, looked better with it. I presume someone forced him to shave it off. Political consultants are the same. Several years back we elected to congress a well-mustachioed gent; in a couple of months the 'stache was gone. See if I ever vote for the spineless putz. Me? Had one as long as I can remember, cheesy as it is. The ends are lighter than the middle, so when you squint at pictures of me I look like Adolph Hitler. . . ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/35 "2003-11-13T15:24:32Z")
Dick Dastardly was the evil character in the cartoons where Tom Slick was the hero and Penelope Pitstop (one t in “pit”) was the love interest. I think the series was named “Tom Slick”, but I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/no_me_ayudes_compadre/32/5224_2.png) [@No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Me_Ayudes_Compadre)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/36 "2003-11-13T18:07:46Z")
Certain professions in the U.S. are more likely to have a tradition of moustaches… in addition to police officers, car salesmen and hotel/restaurant managers come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/37 "2003-11-13T18:18:22Z")
I have a full beard and moustache. All three of my sons have goatees. Seven of the eight men who work for me have some form of facial hair. Oh, and my great aunt Marian has a moustache. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/38 "2003-11-13T18:40:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Badtz Maru \* > \*\*I’ve always associated the big bushy moustache with no beard with gays, for some reason, though when I think about it I know more straights than gays with that style of facial hair. > > I had a moustache along with my beard, but I shaved it because I was sick of getting food and drink in it. \*\* There was a time, back in the 70s, when it seems every fag in America grew a moustache, in some sort of desperate attempt to out-butch Burt Reynolds. Ergo the old joke: why do gay men wear moustaches? To hide the stretch marks. Now it’s mostly left to holdovers from that era. I have a vandyke m’self, and think moustaches - plain moustaches - look awful; they do nothing to change the shape of the face, and draw attention to the nose. On most men, that’s not very good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/39 "2003-11-13T19:18:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MissGypsy \* > \*\*No kidding about the Amish folks? Does that go for Mennonite, too? And did either wear moustaches before a couple hundred years ago? I ask, because I’ve noticed the trend, but always wondered what caused it. \*\* It seems like a lot of men from various walks in life wore a full beard without a moustache, prior to the 20th century. Abraham Lincoln, Brigham Young, and \ Cooper of the Cooper Union, to name just three. I never cared for that style. IMO…you can wear the moustache without the beard, but not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950/40 "2003-11-13T19:44:00Z")
I occured to me a few months ago that, while I’ve shaved for about ten years and often wore a thin beard when I was allowed to, I never let my lip hair grow. That day I stopped shaving my lip, and now I have this fine down-ish covering that refuses to grow properly. However, my hair is pretty light, so you don’t really even see it easily. Someday soon, I shall once again be allowed to grow my beard, and I shall do so with glee. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-many-americans-keep-moustache/212950.md?page=3)