A short and sweet history - of the mustache!

Kratka i slatka povijest - brkova!

The favorite "fashion accessory" on men's faces has not lost its popularity even today.

Does a mustache make you more of a man? With Hollywood icons who have left their mark on history with their roles as macho men, mustaches have gained popularity simply because they look very MNLY.

But how did the first mustache come about? What man was shaving and decided to put it right above his lip? The history of the mustache is not entirely clear, but it is certainly very interesting!

Mustaches: where do they come from?

via GIPHY

The etymology of the word is well known; it starts with the Greek word “mastax”, and passes to the Scots where it becomes “mystax” – both of which meant jaw, lips or mouth. But then in medieval Greek the word changes to “moustakion”, which the Italians shape into “mostaccio”, and the French shape into the widely accepted “moustache” around 1580, when it finally gets an exact explanation – the hair that grows on a man’s upper lip.

However, their historical origins are unclear. One of the first recorded appearances of mustaches was on some pharaohs in ancient Egypt, and they were widely worn during the early Middle Ages.

In the 18th century, mustaches became a sort of seal of soldiers, but they are closely associated with the Indian rebellions of the 19th century. Namely, while under British rule, Indians "grew" extremely long mustaches to assert their masculinity. The British, who were perfectly clean-shaven, had more and more problems with Indians who did not consider them real men due to their lack of hair. In order to work on their dominance, the British allegedly worked on their mustaches and popularized this style upon returning home.

Hollywood mustache

via GIPHY

The 1920s saw the moustache boom, with leaders like Agatha Christie's detective Poirot and the charming American actor Clark Gable. However, one part of history will forever be remembered for Hitler's famous mustache...

However, it was not until the 60s and 70s that mustaches became globally popular thanks to macho dudes, American actors Burt Reynolds and Tom Selleck. Their mustaches were truly pure sex appeal!

Today, mustaches have been replaced by beards, which their fans meticulously care for with technologically advanced products, such as MNLY BEARD GROWTH MOISTURISER & AFTERSHAVE , but once a year in November we celebrate Movember - an annual event that involves growing mustaches during November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and male suicide.

So? Are mustaches a sign of masculinity?

via GIPHY

We have to disappoint you – but no! Although they may look wicked good, there is no correlation between a man's sexual maturity and fertility and a good mustache.

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