It appears that the Mo has been a favoured accessory for men across the ages, with archeologists discovering that Mo Bros have been aware of the power of a moustache since the Neothic Age (around 10,200 to 3,000 BC). Realising the importance of a well-groomed Mo, these prehistoric Mo Bros shaped their facial hair using stone razors fashioned out of Obsidian, or volcanic glass.
Fast forward a few ten thousand years to 300 BC and we discover the first picture (or painting) of a man rocking a Mo. Having decided on ‘The Connoisseur’ as his style of choice, the man in question, Pazyrik Horseman, could therefore be considered the world’s first documented Mo Bro. We’re not sure what he used to style his Mo as Pomade wasn’t around back then, but beeswax or coconut oil may have done the job.
Mo Fact: Germanic tribesmen during the Roman empire used putrid butter to keep their Mo in place. We think we’ll stick to Mo wax.
The Mo was to fall out of favour during the period spanning the First and Second World Wars with military life generally requiring men to remain clean-shaven. However, the tide was to soon turn back in favour of facial hair. In the post war period of the 1960s the clean-shaven look came to represent conservative values meaning the younger generation began to embrace the Mo as a sign of rebellion.
In the late 60s, Dr. Schnurrbart Snor, received the first moustacheology certification (CM) at the City College of Newark and headed to Washington, D.C. to form the American Moustache Institute to work towards solving what he described as America’s ‘ugliness crisis’. “America no was a very much pretty place,” Dr. Snor would say in his broken English. “The government did know it. We could see it, and moustache growth was one solution to improving American good looks. Reduce ugliness.”
Cut to the present day and the moustache has become a badge of honour, synonymous with men’s health and Movember. Each year during November, Mo Bros around the world (supported by the Mo Sista in their lives) selflessly donate their upper lips for 30 days and grow a moustache to raise funds and awareness for men’s health issues – specifically prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health problems.
Since Movember’s inception in 2003, a global army of over 4 million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas have grown or supported the growth of a moustache. The result has been more than $500 million raised, billions of conversations generated about men’s health and over 800 men’s health programs funded - proving that a little facial hair grown by a group of committed people can truly change the world.
Mo Bros and Mo Sistas, you are the custodians of the moustache. Treasure its greatness and never let it die.
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