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What Is a Hipster Mustache?

D. Nelson
D. Nelson

A hipster mustache is a mustache that often is worn ironically, and individuals who sport this style often do so for comical reasons. Some mustaches are modeled after those worn by individuals in the past, such as one that's thick and based on styles that were popular in the 1970s. Other hipster mustaches might be styled more archaically. A handlebar mustache, for example, which is curled at either end, has not commonly been worn by more conventionally dressed individuals for many years.

Many different definitions exist for the term "hipster." Most commonly, the term is used to describe individuals in their 20s and 30s who populate fashionable urban neighborhoods. These individuals might favor counter-cultural styles of music, art, film, and dress. Hipsters often wear ironic clothing and champion values such as creativity and open-mindedness.

A hipster mustache may refer to a mustache worn with the deliberate intention of being comical.
A hipster mustache may refer to a mustache worn with the deliberate intention of being comical.

While many people believe that hipster mustache styles originated as a way for members of the counter-culture to mock conventional ideals of fashion and style, some believe that this kind of mustache has a more straightforward appeal. Instead of being worn ironically, it is possible that, in some contexts, these mustaches are worn for purely aesthetic reasons.

Beards and mustaches are popular among hipsters.
Beards and mustaches are popular among hipsters.

To some degree, any mustache worn by an individual who might be classified as a hipster can be considered a hipster mustache, but most are groomed extensively and may seem deliberately archaic or out of style. This style of facial hair is popular among many people who may not be classified as hipsters, such as members of the fashion industry. For this reason, one does not necessarily have to be worn by a hipster.

Some fashion and style experts point out that many women now wear fake hipster mustaches. Some trace this trend back to popular music videos produced by independent rock bands that are favored by hipsters. Women in fake mustaches appear in fashionable magazines and on social networking sites. It also might be common to see them at parties, where the mustaches as given away as favors.

The term is often used in a derogatory manner by opponents of hipster style. For example, an individual who believes that a man is too superficial may criticize him for spending so much time on his "hipster" mustache. This style of facial hair has become popular among many groups of people, however, so the term also can be used in an unbiased way to describe a look.

Discussion Comments

anon925040

Dude, I'm proud of my "Stecchi" and am certainly no hipster. When my beard and stache grew fuller, they naturally curled in the hipster style. No waxing needed.

anon332550

How about an Adolf Hitler mustache? It's not mainstream, and will set the hipster apart as an individual with a really alternative approach to fashion. Paired up with the low-maintenance Benito Mussolini haircut, and you'll cut a supremely ironic figure.

anon327204

So what about me? I'm fifty -- too old to be taken seriously as a hipster, and I have had my mustache for maybe thirty years. Currently, it is a handlebar, and a rather impressive one. It is the only one of its sort in town. Sometimes it is not a handlebar; sometimes it is just plain ratty. Other times it is styled differently.

giddion

@JackWhack – I laugh at hipster mustaches, too. I have a friend who decided to grow one, and he actually read some sort of guide on how to be a hipster.

This guide recommended that he grow and maintain a razor thin mustache. Since the point is to get noticed for your unconventional style, this is one of the best kinds to grow.

To me, it looks as if he drew it on with a marker. It is ridiculously thin, and I find it hard to take him seriously while looking at him anymore.

Kristee

I think that hipster mustaches are most effective when accompanied by hipster beards. All that facial hair can be really dramatic.

I have seen several musicians sporting hipster beards and mustaches, and they look like they have been living in the wild for months! The hair is usually untamed, so the beard is scraggly or fluffy, depending on the texture of the hair.

When I see a man with this type of hairy face, I am startled at first. It's like I have traveled back in time to the 1800s!

cloudel

Those mustaches that curl on the ends are really cool! I have only ever seen one guy sporting this type of mustache in person, and that was when I was walking through a big city full of strange people.

There was a lot more diversity there than in my small town. This man looked like he was dressed for some play or something. He had on a top hat and a velvet suit.

I asked my friend who lived there if she had ever seen him, and she said that he dresses like that all the time. He likes it when people do double-takes at him.

JackWhack
I call the people who wear these “mustache hipsters.” One on hand, I admire them, but on the other hand, I think they look silly.

I admire them for having the bravery to wear something so unconventional on their face as some sort of fashion statement. It takes dedication to mess with your looks like that and to maintain a complicated mustache.

However, these mustaches just make me laugh when I see them. They are comical by nature, and I can't help it.

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    • A hipster mustache may refer to a mustache worn with the deliberate intention of being comical.
      By: Eugenio Marongiu
      A hipster mustache may refer to a mustache worn with the deliberate intention of being comical.
    • Beards and mustaches are popular among hipsters.
      By: ysbrandcosijn
      Beards and mustaches are popular among hipsters.