The Secret of the Stache

By Will Lieber, 19, IL

On National Peacock Day, millions from around the world tuned in to watch the St. Peter’s Peacocks narrowly overtake the Purdue Boilermakers in the NCAA tournament. The Peacocks, a Cinderella fifteen seed, became the first fifteen seed to ever make it to the elite eight. Leading the charge on that historic night was Doug Edert. Doug captivated viewers with his incredibly efficient basketball skill, his suave hairstyle, and most of all, his nasty, nasty stache. Although Doug’s mustache was average at best, he rocked it with confidence, displaying its full glory amidst one of the most televised sporting events in history. Doug’s confidence on this high-pressure stage reveals the secret of the stache, and ultimately, its power: the benefits of proudly wearing a mustache are not in its aesthetic appeal, but in the confidence and perseverance it takes to grow a mustache that may not appeal to others.

For most men, growing a mustache is not easy. Even if you have the genetics to one day tout a full and complete facial hair style, there will inevitably be a transitory period of growth that screams “teenage boy.” Your hair color might make your mustache seem invisible, or your follicles could grow in patches that never seem to merge together. Put simply, you sometimes have to grit your teeth and grow it. At times it will not look as good as you wish, and you will have to go about your day knowing that others may think the same. This is the challenge of wearing a mustache, because to attain the final product, you must accept the ugliness of the process.

Even for men whose final stache may not be up to modern day standards of manliness, the secret of the mustache still stands. Try growing a mustache out for only thirty days. There will be times when you feel socially aware of your facial hair, and you may want to shave it. This is an exercise in self-acceptance. Tell yourself that you are not growing it for them, you are growing it for you. Even if it isn’t great, rock it like you’re Tom Selleck, Steve Harvey, or Theodore Roosevelt. You grew it yourself, it’s a part of you, so own it. To me, this works even better if it’s ugly, because it takes more courage and perseverance to stick with what others see as an ugly stache than one that is traditionally seen as handsome. 

Although mustaches are a style unique to men who can grow facial hair, this principle still applies to those who can’t grow any mustache at all. The point is to be comfortable in your own skin regardless of your physical appearance. Maybe you want to wear jorts, or platform shoes, or an ugly shirt that you kind of like, or perhaps you have always wanted to grow out your hair. Why not do it now? You don’t have to go all out and wear something that makes you look like you stepped off a ship from another planet, but a subtle change in your appearance that you may not be initially comfortable with can go a long way. Rock it with pride and confidence for a day, week, or month. Be comfortable in the person you are. If Doug Edert can hit clutch threes while looking like Ted Lasso, you are more than capable of making the notorious mustache a part of your style.

I wrote this after watching the NCAA tournament. I was definitely inspired to grow a mustache by Doug Edert, and then through my experiences growing one, I decided to write this article.

Photo by Masoud Nikookalam