Why are moustaches so awesome

Contemporary masculinity has been redefined in so many ways, with far-reaching implications. One of them is that nowadays, your mustache gets to be less of a signpost, and more of a mustache, than ever. United States. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Every 'Bond' Film Ever, Ranked. Leaving Afghanistan Behind. Getty Images.

Duke of the Abruzzi, Italian mountaineer and explorer, late 19th-early 20th century. Print Collector Getty Images. The Beatles, mostly mustached during the Sgt.

Pepper era. Jan Olofsson Getty Images. Barbara Alper Getty Images. Billy Dee Williams, sans cape but still with his mustache, in Michael B. Kevork S. Djansezian Getty Images. Tom Selleck and his famous Magnum, P. Silver Screen Collection Getty Images. Need some stache-spiration? From the Handlebar to the Horseshoe, these are the best mustache styles for guys to grow into. Can a mustache be subtle?

What keeps this style looking intentional is length—this is not just a dusting of hair because you forgot to shave. Trimmed just above the lip and never outside the corners of the mouth, a pencil mustache is all about maintenance.

A close cousin to the Daddy, the Comb mustache gets its authority from volume; it depends on a good amount of hair to really get the job done. But instead of gentle, natural diagonal lines, the Comb is more rounded at the edges and turns down at the corners of your mouth. At one point, the handlebar mustache was basically a must for any mustachioed dude. To get a handlebar, keep the middle point under your nose trimmed and let the corners grow long. Then, use a strong mustache wax or balm to twirl the ends and keep them stiff.

Think of the Walrus as a longer version of the Comb. The secret to the Walrus is for it to look intentional, but not like you care all that much. Truly, this style might as well be called the Hulk because no one has put it on the map as much as Hogan himself. Keep it trimmed not too long and the lines maintained for optimal effect. And it looks great! Why not give it a friend? Adding some chin hair keeps the mustache front and center but smooths the effect.

This look is best with no stubble on the rest of the face and with crisp, clean lines. Allow the hair to grow around and down the corners of your mouth, but cut it off before it goes beyond the edge of your bottom lip.

The classic Leading Man mustache requires commitment, but not necessarily in the growth category. Sure, you need to have some length to it to get adequate coverage, but more than that you need to be willing to really maintain it. Like the pencil, the Leading Man is meticulously groomed, with absolutely no overhang on the top lip, and sometimes even a little divot in the middle for extra measure.

How did mustaches get their bow-chica-bow-bow connotation? You can thank the Sex Symbol, which is loose, free, and ready to get down. The edges dip around the corners of your mouth slightly, but without getting into Horseshoe territory, which gives it a casual lothario look.

Soldiers returning from the first world war — where facial hair in general had been banned because it stopped gasmasks working, and only men of a certain rank were allowed gasmask-friendly taches — sparked a trend for taches in the 20s. More recently, with their popularity in the wake of gay liberation, they have been read as a symbol of queer freedom. Radical, romantic, rebellious Reuse this content.