History Main / ManlyFacialHair

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'': When [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick feel like they're not manly enough to make it to Shell City, Mindy decides to use her "mermaid magic" to make them into men. What she actually does, however, is stick seaweed on their faces to make it look like they have moustaches. With their newfound confidence, our duo head back on the road... but they then run into Dennis the bounty hunter, who not only tears off their fake moustaches, but shows them what a ''real'' moustache looks like by instantly growing one himself.

The reason for this is that women and young boys don't grow facial hair, and the lack of it on a post-pubescent man can make them look "delicate" (see PrettyBoy) so its presence is associated with a gruff, hardened older guy. While a sufficiently muscled and [[LanternJawOfJustice square-jawed]] {{hunk}} can get away with being clean-shaven or sporting PermaStubble, he is just as likely to have a thick moustache and/or a full and gorgeous beard. Characters who ''lack'' facial hair can be considered less masculine, and the growth of facial hair on someone who was previously unable to grow one or was clean-shaven can be a visual indicator that the guy TookALevelInBadass.

SisterTrope to CarpetOfVirility, which achieves the same effect with chest hair, and LanternJawOfJustice, the way to go if you want to look manly without a beard. SuperTrope to BeardOfBarbarism (where long facial hair is used to mark someone as being from a violent warrior culture) and SeadogBeard (where a bushy beard is on an experienced seaman). Compare GirlsWithMoustaches, mustached or bearded women are usually presented as funny or disgusting, since women should not be manly and should not have facial hair.

Common "manly" types who tend to have facial hair are the ChickMagnet (who may be sporting a Creator/ClarkGable-style mustache), the MightyLumberjack and NatureHero (in these cases a bushy beard shows their relation to and dominance over nature), TheStrongman (who is usually associated with a handlebar moustache), the MachoLatino sporting one of the MagnificentMoustachesOfMexico, ['''other potential facial hair havers here''']. Sometimes the association becomes parodic, as in the case of TestosteronePoisoning types who also sport exaggerated facial hair.

* Ron Swanson on ''Series/ParksAndRecreation''. Not only is the man himself is RatedMForManly bar none with the strength and toughness that comes with it (by sitcom standards, of course), the mustache ''itself'' is badass enough to come back to full form within mere days of being singed or trimmed off. None of the other main male characters have much in the way of facial hair.

Common "manly" types who tend to have facial hair are the ChickMagnet (who may be sporting a Creator/ClarkGable-style mustache), the MightyLumberjack and NatureHero (in these cases a bushy beard shows their relation to and dominance over nature), TheStrongman (who is usually associated with a handlebar moustache), the MachoLatino sporting one of the MagnificentMoustachesOfMexico, ['''other potential facial hair havers here''']. Sometimes the association becomes parodic, as in the case of TestosteronePoisoning types who also sport exaggerated facial hair. SisterTrope to CarpetOfVirility, which achieves the same effect with chest hair, and LanternJawOfJustice, the way to go if you want to look manly without a beard. SuperTrope to BeardOfBarbarism (where long facial hair is used to mark someone as being from a violent warrior culture) and SeadogBeard (where a bushy beard is on an experienced seaman).

Note that to qualify, it is not enough for a male character to simply have a moustache, sideburns, or beard. The work must associate the facial hair with {{masculinity|tropes}} in some way.

The reason for this is that women and young boys don't grow facial hair, and the lack of it on a post-pubescent man can make them look "delicate" (see PrettyBoy) so its presence is associated with a gruff, hardened older guy. While a sufficiently muscled and [[LanternJawOfJustice square-jawed]] {{hunk}} can get away with being clean-shaven or sporting PermaStubble, he is just as likely to have a thick moustache and/or a full and gorgeous beard. Characters who ''lack'' facial hair can be considered less masculine, and the growth of facial hair on someone who was previously unable to grow one or was clean-shaven is a reasonable visual indicator that the guy TookALevelInBadass. A moustache is also a handy way to mark someone as a ChickMagnet.

Common "manly" types who tend to have facial hair are the MightyLumberjack and NatureHero (in these cases it shows their dominance over nature), TheStrongman (who is usually associated with a handlebar moustache), the MachoLatino sporting one of the MagnificentMoustachesOfMexico, ['''other potential facial hair havers here''']. Sometimes the association becomes parodic, as in the case of TestosteronePoisoning types who also sport exaggerated facial hair. SisterTrope to CarpetOfVirility, which achieves the same effect with chest hair, and LanternJawOfJustice, the way to go if you want to look manly without a beard. SuperTrope to BeardOfBarbarism (where long facial hair is used to mark someone as being from a violent warrior culture) and SeadogBeard (where a bushy beard is on an experienced seaman).

[[TruthInTelevision In real life]], moustaches are considered more professional than beards and they were mandatory in certain services. In certain areas of India, [[https://www.logically.ai/factchecks/library/7b41d1a6 police officers are encouraged to grow a moustache or have moustaches as part of the uniform]]. From 1860 to 1916, it was [[https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/03/01/mustache-law/ mandatory for British soldiers to wear moustaches]] and they would be arrested if they removed their facial hair. Beards have also fallen in and out of fashion throughout history. They were out in the 20th century thanks to the rise of widely-available shaving equipment making it easy to get rid of facial hair, but made a comeback in the 21st.

[[AC:Video Games]]

* ''VideoGame/DeadInVinland'', being set in the Viking Age, is unsurprisingly chock full of these. Almost every single male character, from TheHero to random mooks, has a beard, including non-Norse characters, and they tend to be ornate [[BeardOfBarbarism Beards of Barbarism]], decorated with gold rings, braids, dreadlocks (in the case of [[TheBard eccentric African griot]] Cisse), and the like. Only Brother Angelico, a timid young Italian monk who's basically a [[GenderInvertedTrope male version]] of the WhiteMagicianGirl, is clean-shaven.

Common "manly" types who tend to have facial hair are the MightyLumberjack and NatureHero (in these cases it shows their dominance over nature), TheStrongman (who is usually associated with a handlebar moustache), the MachoLatino sporting one of the MagnificentMoustachesOfMexico, ['''other potential facial hair havers here''']. Sometimes the association becomes parodic, as in the case of TestosteronePoisoning types who also sport exaggerated facial hair. SisterTrope to CarpetOfVirility, which achieves the same effect with chest hair, and LanternJawOfJustice, the way to go if you want to look manly without a beard. SuperTrope to BeardOfBarbarism (where long facial hair is used to mark someone as being from a violent warrior culture) and SeadogBeard (where a bushy beard is on an experienced seaman).

Note that to qualify, it is not enough for a male character to simply have a moustache. The work must associate the moustache with {{masculinity|tropes}} in some way.

The reason for this is that women and young boys don't grow facial hair, and the lack of it on a post-pubescent man can make them look "delicate" (see PrettyBoy) so its presence is associated with a gruff, hardened older guy. While a sufficiently muscled and square-jawed {{hunk}} can get away with being clean-shaven or sporting PermaStubble, he is just as likely to have a thick moustache and/or a full and gorgeous beard. Characters who ''lack'' facial hair can be considered less masculine, and the growth of facial hair on someone who was previously unable to grow one or was clean-shaven is a reasonable visual indicator that the guy TookALevelInBadass. A moustache is also a handy way to mark someone as a ChickMagnet.

Common "manly" types who tend to have facial hair are the MightyLumberjack and NatureHero (in these cases it shows their dominance over nature), TheStrongman (who is usually associated with a handlebar moustache), the MachoLatino sporting one of the MagnificentMoustachesOfMexico, ['''other potential facial hair havers here''']. Sometimes the association becomes parodic, as in the case of TestosteronePoisoning types who also sport exaggerated facial hair. SisterTrope to CarpetOfVirility, which achieves the same effect with chest hair. SuperTrope to BeardOfBarbarism (where long facial hair is used to mark someone as being from a violent warrior culture) and SeadogBeard (where a bushy beard is on an experienced seaman).

Facial hair is widely perceived as masculine and mature. Be it a well-groomed moustache or a lush and untrimmed beard, facial hair on a male character is used to show them as a bona fide tough guy, a man's man, a veritable buffet of manliness.

The reason for this is that women and young boys don't grow facial hair, and the lack of it on a post-pubescent man can make them look "delicate" (see PrettyBoy) so its presence is associated with a gruff, hardened older guy. While a sufficiently muscled and square-jawed {{hunk}} can get away with being clean-shaven or sporting PermaStubble, he is just as likely to have a thick moustache and/or a full and gorgeous beard. The growth of facial hair on someone who was previously unable to grow one or was clean-shaven is a reasonable visual indicator that the guy TookALevelInBadass. A moustache is also a handy way to mark someone as a ChickMagnet.

Common "manly" types who tend to have facial hair are the MightyLumberjack and NatureHero (in these cases it shows their dominance over nature), ['''other potential facial hair havers here''']. SisterTrope to CarpetOfVirility, which achieves the same effect with chest hair. SuperTrope to BeardOfBarbarism (where long facial hair is used to mark someone as being from a violent warrior culture) and SeadogBeard (where a bushy beard is on an experienced seaman).

* Overly muscled manly man and AwesomeAussie Saxton Hale of the ''Webcomic/TeamFortress2'' webcomics displays a thick and prominent moustache.

The reason for this is that women and young boys don't grow facial hair, and the lack of it on a post-pubescent man can make them look "delicate" (see PrettyBoy) so its presence is associated with a gruff, hardened older guy. While a sufficiently muscled {{hunk}} can get away with being clean-shaven or PermaStubble, he is just as likely to have a thick moustache and/or a full and gorgeous beard. The growth of facial hair on someone who was previously unable to grow one or was clean-shaven is a reasonable visual indicator that the guy TookALevelInBadass. A moustache is also a handy way to mark someone as a ChickMagnet.

Common "manly" types who tend to have facial hair are the MightyLumberjack, ['''etc etc''']. SisterTrope to CarpetOfVirility, which achieves the same effect with chest hair. SuperTrope to BeardOfBarbarism (where long facial hair is used to mark someone as being from a violent warrior culture) and SeadogBeard (where a bushy beard is on an experienced seaman).

SisterTrope to CarpetOfVirility, which achieves the same effect with chest hair. SuperTrope to BeardOfBarbarism (where long facial hair is used to mark someone as being from a violent warrior culture) and SeadogBeard (where a bushy beard is on an experienced seaman).

* Ron Swanson on ''Series/ParksAndRecreation''. Not only is the man himself is RatedMForManly bar none with the strength and toughness that comes with it (by sitcom standards, of course), the mustache ''itself'' is badass enough to come back to full form within mere days of being singed or trimmed off. None of the other main male characters have much in the way of facial hair.

The reason for this is that women and young boys don't grow facial hair, and the lack of it on a post-pubescent man can make them look "delicate" (see PrettyBoy) so its presence is associated with a guy who's most definitely gone through puberty and seen some stuff. While a sufficiently muscled {{hunk}} can get away with being clean-shaven or PermaStubble, he is just as likely to have a thick moustache and/or a full and gorgeous beard. The growth of facial hair on someone who was previously unable to grow one or was clean-shaven is a reasonable visual indicator that the guy TookALevelInBadass. A moustache is also a handy way to mark someone as a ChickMagnet.

The reason for this is that women and young boys don't grow facial hair, and the lack of it on a post-pubescent man can make them look "delicate" (see PrettyBoy) so its presence is associated with a guy who's most definitely gone through puberty and seen some stuff. While a sufficiently muscled {{hunk}} can get away with being clean-shaven or PermaStubble, he is just as likely to have a thick moustache and/or a full and gorgeous beard.

* Ron Swanson on ''Series/ParksAndRecreation''. Not only is the man himself is RatedMForManly bar none with the strength and toughness that comes with it (by sitcom standards, of course), the mustache ''itself'' is badass enough to come back to full form within mere days of being singed or trimmed off. None of the other main male characters have much in the way of facial hair.
* Rod of the film ''Film/HotRod'' wears a fake moustache when performing stunts in order to make himself manlier. He claims to have some kind of hormonal imbalance that prevents him from growing a real one, but [[spoiler:at the end of the movie he's starting to grow one for real anyway]].

* Ron Swanson on ''Series/ParksAndRecreation''. Not only is the man himself is RatedMForManly bar none with the strength and toughness that comes with it (by sitcom standards, of course), the mustache ''itself'' is badass enough to come back to full form within mere days of being singed or trimmed off.