Much has changed this year. But amid the societal upheaval and medical malaise, there has also been a grooming revolution.
Though fears were sparked by the initial bout of ungrooming that came with the first bout of lockdown (see: our correspondant’s tragic attempt to replicate Chris Hemsworth’s isolation beard), we appear to have finally got our sh*t together, and there’s now light at the end of the tunnel.
Case in point? One of Australia’s most stylish exports: Shaun Birley. Shaun is a travel ambassador for Qantas, an Instagram influencer with 108k followers and an e-commerce and international fashion distributor. He’s also now the proud owner of an isolation moustache, and one of the first guys to pull off this look, perhaps since 1890…
View this post on Instagram
Even when you grow the perfect mo’ though, it’s not all fun and games. As Shaun tells us, any guy considering a furry friend had better be ready for their identity to be subsumed.
“You’re now the guy with the moustache, a Ryan Reynolds lookalike, etc.”
He also warned: if you’re feeling self-conscious about your burgeoning moustache, “don’t go for clean-shaven [cheeks]” at the same time; grow a beard alongside it, to avoid extra attention in the early days.
This is key to avoiding the normally “inevitable” period of time where your wispy upper lip would otherwise look creepy.
Shaun also shared some of his other top tips for growing a ‘work from home’ moustache you wouldn’t be afraid to rock out and about.
View this post on Instagram
To differentiate yourself from the crowd, and to achieve that classic curl at the end, Shaun says you have to “train it to go a certain way.” This involves buying a mo’ brush and “sweeping it straight to the side.”
Perhaps counterintuitively, Shaun also said “don’t trim” and “keep growing through the middle” where you will want to build as much volume as possible.
Positive results should ensue.
Shaun tells us he has developed a strong sense of “emotional attachment” to his moustache which he admitted he grew, partially, because the events of 2020 provided a safer environment in which to experiment with facial hair.
One of the best things about growing it, he tells us, is it’s inspirational value: “blokes say ‘awesome’ and tell me they wish they could grow one.”
The worst part? “Women [say] it’s got to go,” Shaun tells DMARGE with a laugh.
Shaun also tells us growing a moustache could help you nail a look previously out of reach. The glasses in the below photo, for instance, didn’t look good on Shaun until he grew his isolation moustache.
Shaun’s remarks come amid an Australian grooming revolution, with more and more men realising it’s possible to look ‘put together’ and rock facial hair all at the same time.
As Beard Season founder Jimmy Niggles recently told DMARGE, “your beard is like your fingerprint. No two are the same. So take pride in its development and don’t beat yourself up about it not looking like someone else’s.”
We say the same for your moustache. Now go forth and grow. Follicular glory (if not the modelling job of your dreams) awaits.