THE CAT'S WHISKERS

History

Historically, moustaches have been worn by military men and the number of nations, regiments and ranks were equalled only by the number of styles and variations. Generally, the younger men and lower ranks wore the smaller and less elaborate moustaches. As a man advanced in rank, so did his moustache become thicker and bushier, until he ultimately was permitted to wear an ever fuller beard. For a glimpse into this colourful and noble past, refer to the works of famous military artists.
In Western cultures women generally remove facial hair, though many are capable of growing it and have done so, usually in the form of thin moustaches. The artist Frida Kahlo famously depicted herself with both a moustache and a unibrow. This tradition is followed by some contemporary women in the arts. [1] , [2]

An English moustache was formerly used in melodramas,

movies and comic books as a shorthand indication of villainy.

Snidely Whiplash, for example, was characterized by his

moustache, his cape, and his habit of kidnapping women

and then tying them to train tracks, in order to foreclose

on their mortgages. It should be noted that stock character

20's [male] attire is generally a tophat, a handlebar moustache

and a monocle.

In some countries, it was obligatory for soldiers to grow moustaches.

The British Army, for instance, forbade the shaving of the upper lip

by all ranks from the 19th century until the regulation was abolished

by an Army Order dated 6 October 1916.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word is of French

origin, dating from the mid-16th century.






Os Bigodes do Gato - The Cat's Whiskers

Jorge G. Lisboa-Portugal
Links: http://osbigodesdogato.blogspot.com
http://quintadosbichos.blogspot.com
E-Mail: jorgegued@gmail.com