Fake moustache

Fake moustaches

Afake moustacheorfalse moustacheis an item of prosthetic make-up. Fakemoustachesare made in a variety of ways, but usually require a form of adhesive to affix the moustache to the wearer's face.

History

The use of false facial hair dates back toantiquity.InAncient Egypt,most men were clean-shaven (real facial hair being a signifier of low social status).Pharaohs,however, often wore elaborate false metal beards, linking them withOsiris,the god of the afterlife.InAncient Greece,Aristophanesreferenced false facial hair in his playAssemblywomen,in which the women of Athens disguise themselves as men using false beards.

False facial hair has been used as a disguise for thousands of years.In particular, women throughout history have used false facial hair to disguise themselves as men, often to gain access to freedoms they were denied as women.

False facial hair has also been used for theater and performance since at least theearly modern period.Boy playerswould often wear false facial hair to appear older onstage.

In the 19th century, fake moustaches held associations with deception and criminality.Lewis Powell,one of the conspirators in theLincoln assassination plot,carried with him a fake moustache during his assassination attempt onWilliam H. Seward.A key witness,Louis J. Weichmann,commented that he "thought no honest person had a reason to wear a false mustache".

Despite these perceptions, false facial hair was worn for aesthetic reasons during theVictorian era,as facial hair was particularly fashionable during this period.

In the mid-20th century, fake mustaches were sold commercially. TheNew York Herald Tribunereported in 1963 that customers were primarily "young boys for fun or to 'virilize' themselves" as well as "wives who give them to their husbands".

During the 2010s, fake moustaches surged in popularity, as a humorous, ironic, andretromotif.

Cultural significance

In many forms of popular media, the use of a fake moustache as an unconvincing disguise is a commonly-usedtrope.The "disguised face"emoji(🥸) features afake moustache, as well as a pair of glasses.

Drawn-on fake moustaches are deployed humorously in graffiti and other artistic means.Marcel Duchamp'sartworkL.H.O.O.Q.depicts theMona Lisawith a moustache. In the 1946 cartoonDaffy Doodles,Daffy Duckdraws fake moustaches on everyone she sees.

Many iconic moustaches in popular media have been prosthetic:Charlie Chaplin,Groucho Marx,andDavid Suchet(asHercule Poirot)all wore fake moustaches. Marx's moustache, in particular, has gained prominence as the namesake ofgroucho glasses,novelty glasses with a fake moustache attached.

See also

• Groucho glasses