Page 22 - My FlipBook 1

MUSTACHES ARE . . . SEXY? OR . . . NOT? YOU DON’T KNOW UNTIL
you grow. That’s why, though many are ’stache-curious, they
haven’t had the guts to go all in. Then social isolation changed
the landscape entirely. Now mustaches are flourishing.
Here’s the thing: Being cooped up inside during a pandemic
isn’t exactly empowering. But growing a mustache? That’s a
things brazen act of self-determination. It’s looking at your face and
saying, “I’m going to put a mustache on here because, dammit,
I can.” When the world feels rudderless, growing some upper-
lip fuzz is one way of exerting control—at least over your face.
For some, it’s also a practical concern. “I thought if it became
necessary to wear masks, I wouldn’t want to shave my whole
beard,” says home lifestyle blogger Matt Armato (pictured, cen-
ter right). For others, going for the grow was helped along by
sheer curiosity. “I was tired of looking at my face and wonder-
ing how I’d look with a mustache,” says Esquire’s own style are
e-commerce editor, Avidan Grossman (far left), who’s sporting
one with a bit of an Errol Flynn vibe.
And for a few, it was a way to do some good. Lawyer Darren
Grady (far right) is part of a group of guys all growing a ’stache
and donating $5 a day throughout lockdown to Chicago Hospi-

getting
THE SHORT STORIES STIFF UPPER LIP Can a mustache make you feel better? For these men who let theirs grow in isolation, the answer is yes.

by GARRETT MUNCE

a little tality United, which supports service-industry workers. “We not
only have a sense of community,” he says, “but we’ve got an
opportunity to see our friends differently. It brings positivity.”
For charity or not, isolation is an ideal time to grow. “Both the
safety and novelty of isolation lend themselves to new aesthet-
ics,” says Esquire deputy editor Ben Boskovich (center left). A
mustache is low-risk: You can change it, unlike so many other
things. And experimenting can lead to unexpected places. “My
dad told me I look like he did at my age, and my grandfather
wore a mustache, too,” he continues. “It’s a nice connection to
them. I didn’t realize it would bring me there, but it did.”
Beyond being a link to the past, mustachioed faces might
become a signifier of a new world order—one in which personal
confidence trumps old social norms. “Maybe I come out of this
with a new perspective,” says Grady, who is imagining a post- hairy GETTY IMAGES (TYLER, THE CREATOR; EGG). COURTESY SUBJECTS (REMAINING).
isolation party with in-person ’stache reveals. “I do anticipate
wanting to keep it,” he says. “The question is, will I?”

S W E R V E T H E S U M M E R
the BOLD-AS-HELL SW EATER V EST
Up for another well-advised style risk? Try a sweater vest that goes a bit wild. Like the ’stache, it seems to be a
possible pratfall. But if you rock it the same way—with an abundance of confidence—it doesn’t get much cooler.

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