Mustache Musings

Before I begin, let me just say that I have a mustache. I say that mainly to establish some credibility about the subject. One of the reasons that I chose to devote an entire blog to the subject of mustaches is to try to open the eyes of people who already have negative preconceived notions about them. When people talk to me about their feelings about mustaches, (and they often do), when they try to explain why they feel the way that they do about them, they almost always answer no to the question: "Have you ever grown one?" There are many unfounded mustache stereotypes that I hope to disprove through this blog.
Perhaps some people right now might be thinking that I fit one of the stereotypes and that I am just in denial about it, but if necessary I can provide testimonials from relatives vouching that I am not a cop, a criminal, or a member of a biker gang. A few readers may also be thinking that I am so entrenched in my stance about mustaches that I won't see reason or the other side of the story. I admit that I am biased. But in the end isn't bias just the result of an opinion? Either way, I think that every man should grow a mustache at least once in their life. As the old English proverb says, “A man without a mustache is like a cup of tea without sugar.”

While it is true that most men who ask me about mustaches haven't ever grown one, there is a large portion of these men who say they want to grow one, but report not receiving permission to do so. Growing a mustache does not appear to be an equal opportunity undertaking. There is an unspoken understanding among men in committed relationships that in order for them to be able to do anything they have to, "go through committee," and receive the ultimate permission from their spouse or girlfriend. It has been said that women are "The Neck" of a relationship and "they turn the head whatever way they want." For this very reason I wish to direct part of my words and thoughts in this blog to women. I believe that a man must have firm support from the woman in his life if he is going to embark on a mustache journey. I have heard stories of men who have tried to bypass this permission and grow one on their own. The majority of them slept on the couch until they shaved it. I believe very firmly that it is harder to get a woman to give permission for a mustache, than to convince a man to grow one. That is not meant to be offensive in any way, rather, it goes to show that there are a lot of men who would grow one, if only they had the green light.

I am not naive enough to think that most of the people that I am reaching out to will heed anything that I say, or even give it a second thought. Even helping one person reconsider their stance on the subject would be a success in my eyes. I mainly write this to demonstrate that there is nothing inherently wrong with mustaches. For the next few weeks I will give my top 6 reasons why every man should consider growing a mustache. These reasons are from my own experience, and are part of the reason why I continue to sport one. So, if you are interested, then I ask you to check back in a week. If not, I won't be offended if you decide that this might not be the blog for you. Either way, I'll be here.