In other words, mustaches are shaped in part by sexual dynamics, but not best understood as a means of attracting a mate. Research shows that mustaches are most common in societies where there are a surplus of men in the mating market (think: polygamous cultures). Scientists suspect that the goal in growing them is not to attract mates - studies seem to indicate female ambivalence - but to compete with other men for dominance. That might sound odd in an era of proliferating beards, but there’s plenty of historical precedents.Īlthough testosterone levels do not directly dictate facial hair, there’s evidence that people still believe that men with it are manlier than their clean-shaven counterparts. The pedophile and pornstar jokes emerge from a place of discomfort with overt celebrations of manhood. This is why today mustaches are often considered to be creepy. What they mean depends largely on cultural or individual feelings about manhood and masculinity. As such, all mustaches can be understood as gestures of what researchers call “performative masculinity.” They mean something. It is extremely rare that a man’s facial hair naturally grow into under-nose topiary if left alone to do its thing.
Different men grow mustaches for different reasons, but all these men share one thing in common: They made a choice. Lip fuzz can be a marker of class, non-conformity, delinquency, aspiration, or hypersexuality.
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