February is Mustache History Month

Really? There's a month devoted to the upper lip warmer? Not sure I believe my buddies on this one, but I did some digging. And as part of that investigation, I ran across the AMI. The American Mustache Institute. No joke. They give a full rundown on the various styles which I reproduce here due to their obvious authority on the subject - they're an entire Institute for cryin out loud...

"...Dali - narrow, long points bent or curved steeply upward; areas past the corner of the mouth must be shaved. Artificial styling aids needed. Named after Salvador Dalí who was known to sport such a style later in his life and featured in the short-lived Broadway play “Hello, Dali!” starring Gene Shalit in the lead.

English - narrow, beginning at the middle of the upper lip the whiskers are very long and pulled to the side, slightly curled; the ends are pointed slightly upward; areas past the corner of the mouth usually shaved. Artificial styling may be needed, especially if you are, actually, English.

Fu Manchu - long, downward pointing ends, generally beyond the chin:

Pancho Villa - similar to the Fu Manchu but thicker; also known as a "droopy mustache", generally much more so than that normally worn by the critically revered Cheech Marin.

Handlebar - bushy, with small upward pointing ends. See baseball pitcher Rollie Fingers. Also known as a "spaghetti mustache", because of its stereotypical association with Italian men.

Horseshoe - Often confused with the Fu Manchu style, the horseshoe was possibly popularized by modern cowboys and consists of a full mustache with vertical extensions from the corners of the lips down to the jawline and resembling an upside-down horseshoe.

Imperial - whiskers growing from both the upper lip and cheeks, curled upward (distinct from the royale, or impériale).

Moustachio - bushy mustache, with hair sometimes growing down the sides of the mouth. Also known as the Nosebeard, or the Moustachio Fantastico, with mustachio being a US variant on the spelling.

Taylor mustache - a thin row of fine dark hairs along the upper lip. Sometimes know as the Lilibrow.

Pencil mustache - narrow, straight and thin like a pencil, closely clipped, outlining the upper lip, with a wide shaven gap between the nose and mustache. Also known as a Mouthbrow. See John Waters.

Office model – favored by middle managers who live in fear of doing anything unusual.

Toothbrush or Dictator - thick, but shaved except for about an inch (2.5 cm) in the center; associated with Adolf Hitler and Charlie Chaplin. Considered the “third rail” of mustaches so out of favor today that its appearance is considered a symptom of insanity.

The Zappa – a controversial mustache with soul patch, the rights to which are currently owned by the secretive Zappa family, and of course a style which is disputed by the American Mustache Institute as it contains chin coverage which eliminates the trueness of the mustache.

Walrus - bushy, hanging down over the lips, often entirely covering the mouth.

The GG - bushy hair grown only over the corners of the mouth, shaved in the middle. Named after musician and performing artist GG Allin, the most well-known wearer of the style."

Happy February