Moustaches: Cool, Funny, and Frightening

Perhaps now when we think of moustaches we think of cheesy 70's porn stars wearing short shorts and big sunglasses, but there have been a lot of different types of moustaches throughout the years that have come to represent a lot of different types of people.

Take the old-fashioned handlebar moustache. It's often associated with the Wild West or dignified Englishmen (especially military officers), and it takes a long time to grow and a bit of maintenance to perfect. Nowadays, they definitely aren't in fashion unless you're planning on entering a moustache contest.

The Charlie Chaplin was one-of-a-kind until Adolf Hitler copied it. Chaplin's character of the Little Tramp was so beloved by the entire world; Hitler thought that if he copied the popular character's signature tiny toothbrush 'stache, it would make him a more likeable guy. Unfortunately, looking like someone loveable can only do so much for a guy who never looked too happy and did a lot of horrible things. I dare anyone to try to get away with this look today. Now people immediately think "Hitler" when they see this style, even though it wasn't originally his signature look.

Then you've got the manly-men moustaches of the '70's and '80's, on such macho men as Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds. These full-bodied, in-your-face moustaches became very popular with men during this time period, and we haven't seen Burt Reynolds without one since his role in the film Deliverance. It's this type of moustache that was supposedly making a comeback a few years ago, but it really hasn't caught on, unfortunately. The look has just become too much of a joke now for anyone to pull off, no matter how manly.

If you wanted a temporary moustache, you could copy Groucho Marx's famous look: just wipe some black face paint over your mouth. Even though it was a fake, it's one of the most famous moustache looks of all time. Everyone would more than likely think you chewed on an ink pen until it exploded if you ever tried to pull this look off in public. But you can buy a full Groucho face complete with eyebrows, glasses, nose, and bushy moustache.