They Are the (Moustache) Champions

A few posts back, I speculated on the decline of the moustache in contemporary pop culture (NB- I also used the spelling "stash" at that time, but I have since decided to switch to the mose continental "'stache"). While George Clooney has not yet responded to my plea to be the 'stache's saviour in 2006, it seems that a vibrant international moustache community does exist these days. I learned this from a recent visit to the World Beard and Moustache Championships website, which is devoted to the biennial event of that name. Interestingly, Germany dominates the global arena of beard and moustache competition, both in the number of gold medals won and the number of world championships hosted. Categories in which moustache-wearers may compete include: Natural, English, Freestyle, Handlebar, Imperial, and then my personal favourites, the Dali and the Fu Manchu. Partial and Full Beard categories are also open to competitors. No Canadian champs emerged from the 2005 competition, however Americans can be proud of Toot (Toot!) Joslin's golden victory in the Sideburns category. With a little extra 'stache training, I think Jack Layton could do Canada proud at the 2007 championships. At any rate, it looks like the 'stache is going strong, despite its current lack of supporters among Hollywood stars. Its day is going to come, though, believe me--the 'stache will rise again.