They judged his ability before he said a word
What a facial-hair experiment reveals about first impressions, and why your moustache is worth shaping on your own terms.
Look at the man in the photograph. Does he seem confident, serious, or like the sort of man who knows exactly which drink to order?
You have not heard him speak. You know nothing about his work, his sense of humour or whether he can be trusted to water a plant. Yet his face may already have suggested a story. That is what makes facial hair so interesting: a small change in appearance can give us something very different to read into.
The experiment that put facial hair in the interview room
In a study published in 1990, researchers J. Ann Reed and Elizabeth M. Blunk asked 228 managers involved in hiring to evaluate ink sketches of six male job applicants. The drawings included clean-shaven, moustached and bearded versions. The managers rated qualities including competence, personality and composure.
The researchers reported more positive impressions of the men with facial hair. The exercise measured judgements about drawings, though, not anyone’s actual ability to do a job.
That is the part worth thinking about. The applicants had not demonstrated a single skill, but their appearance was already doing some of the talking.
The twist is that the room matters
A 2003 study in Brazil points in another direction. In its hiring study, 50 personnel managers preferred clean-shaven candidates over moustached, goateed or bearded versions.
Taken together, these studies are a reminder that facial-hair judgements depend on context. They are not a reliable rule for getting a job, getting a date or deciding what kind of man someone is. Your razor is not a career adviser.
What interests us is the freedom to choose the look you actually want. If you wait for every stranger to approve of your moustache, you are going to spend a lot of time in front of the mirror.
Your razor is not a career adviser. And your moustache doesn’t need everyone’s approval.
Your face has a logo if you want one
Think of a moustache as a personal signature. A broad natural sweep, a neat little curve or a full handlebar can become a feature you enjoy having. It does not need to look like anyone else’s, and it certainly does not need a committee.
There is also more room to experiment than the usual choice between “leave it alone” and “shave it off”. Comb the centre to the sides and the upper lip becomes more visible. Give the ends a little direction and the outline changes. With enough length, those ends can form the open upward curves of a handlebar.
You can keep it understated for work and make the shape more pronounced when you feel like it. The useful question is whether you like what you see and can comfortably wear it through an ordinary day.
A good moustache should stay out of your sandwich
The romance tends to disappear when the hairs keep turning up in your coffee. Or when one curl behaves beautifully and the other looks as though it has somewhere else to be.
Before deciding the look does not suit you, give the shape a proper attempt. Start with clean, dry hairs. Comb outward from the centre, choose where you want the ends to sit and work in a small amount of moustache wax, following its application directions. Use the comb to distribute it, then finish the ends with your fingers. Add more only where you need it.
For a natural look, aim for a clear outline and hairs directed away from the mouth. For a handlebar, use the length you already have to shape the tips into open curls. Wax helps hold a shape; it cannot supply the extra growth a longer style needs.
Take a photograph in normal light and have another look later. Does the shape feel like you? That is a more useful test than expecting your bathroom mirror to predict what every person you meet will think.
Give the shape the right tools
The MANEFORGE Stache Boss Kit brings together two Tangaroa 2Go waxes and the Maestrocomb, so you can work out what suits your moustache without being stuck with one hold option.
- Tangaroa Medium 6/10 gives you a flexible option for everyday shaping and a natural sweep.
- Tangaroa Strong 9/10 gives rebellious hairs and more defined styles firmer control. The current formula is made for application on the go, without a hairdryer.
- The stainless-steel Maestrocomb helps direct the hairs and distribute the wax. Its bottle opener is useful once the grooming is finished.
The waxes are 100% natural, with essential oils for scent rather than synthetic fragrance. Beeswax provides structure; Strong also uses carnauba wax. Both come in pocket-sized sticks, so a touch-up does not need to wait until you get home. The numbers describe the hold levels within our own range.
Choose a relaxed sweep or give those handlebar ends some definition. You have already grown the moustache; now you can decide what to do with it.
Find your shape with the Stache Boss Kit
Covered by our 60-day money-back guarantee. See the product page for terms.
You cannot choose everybody’s first impression. You can choose the moustache you turn up with.