With the fashion style of lumbersexuals on the rise, more and more members of the stronger sex are seen sporting a beard and mustache. The trend for men to walk around with a prominent display of facial hair has its fans among the fairer sex also.
Mustaches and beards have long been symbols of might and power. Mustaches symbolize dignity, they're a sign that the boy has become a man, they can be a mark of artistry and are also often linked to a man's honor.
In some cultures in the past, the male population was obliged to have a mustache. Mustaches were seen as a symbol of the boy's transition into adulthood, and their first shave was also done ritualistically in many places. At the same time, boys without a mustache were laughed at and made fun of.
Gradually, the thick mustaches displayed by men out in the country transformed into refined city-boy mustaches which were stylized by expert barbers, as dictated by the latest French fashion. Slowly, they grew to become a symbol of prestige and prosperity.
In the Near East, mustaches were viewed as a symbol of wisdom, nobility, power and masculinity. Such high importance was given to them that some men even resorted to wearing fake mustaches, to make them look more solid.
In the Arab world, mustaches symbolize personal merit. There exists the practice of shaving the mustache of an opponent, so as to dishonor them.
