Steve Sailer: iSteve: Mexican Mustaches

June 27, 2012

Mexican Mustaches

Judging from the candidates in the Mexican Presidential election, the mustache is finally fading from fashion south of the border after a really long run, peaking in the days of Vicente Fox, who broke the PRI monopoly on power by being 6 and a half feet tall and having a formidable mustache. Of the three male nominees in 2012, only fourth party candidate Gabriel Quadri is sporting a 'stache, and it's really not a good look. But why the mustache's long run in Mexico? Was it to reassure people you were not so Indian you couldn't grow a mustache?

My old articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer

54 comments:

Anonymous said...: It look macho maybe.; 6/27/12, 8:28 PM
Anonymous said...: Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León
had no machostache but maybe he should have cut his name.; 6/27/12, 8:31 PM
Mr. Anon said...: A pity - Thomas Friedman's secret dream of someday becoming El Presidente lies in ruins.; 6/27/12, 8:55 PM
Prof. Woland said...: Mexican’s like to wear mustaches because facial hair, and body hair for that matter, is a European trait. The indigenous people did not sport a lot of hair, except on their heads so if a Mexican has a stash it means that he is white or a mestizo and not an indio.; 6/27/12, 9:08 PM
Anonymous said...: OT:

Should Democrats Worry About Hispanic Turnout?; 6/27/12, 9:20 PM
Beecher Asbury said...: This is off topic, though it probably includes Mexicans in its analysis. Check out a list of the US cities with the highest unemployment compared to those with the lowest. Does anything jump out at you?

Highest unemployment rates May 2012
Yuma, Ariz. 28.9
El Centro, Calif. 26.8
Yuba City, Calif. 17.9
Merced, Calif. 17.3
Modesto, Calif. 15.6
Fresno, Calif. 14.9
Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. 14.8
Visalia-Porterville, Calif. 14.7
Stockton, Calif. 14.5
Madera-Chowchilla, Calif. 14.3

Lowest unemployment rates May 2012
Bismarck, N.D. 2.5
Fargo, N.D. 3.0
Lincoln, Neb. 3.4
Burlington-S. Burlington Vt. 3.5
Iowa City, Iowa 3.6
Grand Forks, N.D. 3.7
Sioux Falls, S.D. 3.8
Midland, Texas 3.8
Ames, Iowa 3.9
Portsmouth, N.H. 4.1

Question, will those cities with the lowest unemployment be the next destination for diversity?; 6/27/12, 10:10 PM
Auntie Analogue said...: Maybe AG Holder's lethal Fast & Furious fiasco also involved sending US-purchased razor blades south of the Rio Grande?; 6/27/12, 10:33 PM
Anonymous said...: Check out a list of the US cities with the highest unemployment compared to those with the lowest.

This is funny because I was just chatting with a liberal pro-Obama co-worker today and I mentioned to him that Obama wouldn't be able to reduce unemployment because not only needs to create jobs for Americans, but he'll also need to create another additional 1 million jobs per year for all the legal and illegal people coming here. He responded by saying that my math was wrong and that the jobs always went to citizens first anyway and that stuff just trickled down to non-citizens afterwards. I lol'ed in my head, but couldn't really argue with him openly out of fear of being branded a racist.; 6/27/12, 11:33 PM
Anonymous said...: "Mexicans like to wear mustaches because facial hair, and body hair for that matter, is a European trait."

A fact alluded to by Mr. Sailer in his initial post.

Among European peoples, body hair is more strongly associated with people of Southern European ancestry e.g. Italians, Spanish, Portuguese, South Slavs, and Greeks.

In contrast, some Northern European ethnic groups are not particularly hairy at all, the fair Finns being one example that springs to mind.; 6/27/12, 11:52 PM
Anonymous said...: I believe that the modern wearing of the moustache (compared to the ancient usage - which I believe various 'barbarian' tribes in Europe wore in classical times - see Trajan's column or the 'dying Gaul' statue, a fashion that apparently died out for a thousand years like, only to be 'rediscovered' like tattooing), started amongst the European armies of the early 19th century, and was, originally, the mark of the military man. I think it was the Turkish army that started the trend, and officers of other European nations copied the trend. The British of the late 19th century were big on moustaches - see the famous Lord Kitchener 'You!' poster. A military trend that seeped out on to civilian fashion.
Earlier in the 19th century, Englishmen generally wore elaborate sideburns rather than the moustache. Moustache wearing amongst the English generally died out after Adolf Hitler.; 6/28/12, 12:08 AM
Anonymous said...: They love their mustaches almost as much as their donkey shows.; 6/28/12, 12:54 AM
dearieme said...: For an answer why not consult the Harvard Law Squaw?; 6/28/12, 1:35 AM
Anonymous said...: Do Narco-Trafficantes wear mustaches?

Also, how does Narco-Trafficante-ism play in the election?

Are there any pro-Western law-n-order candidates who are willing to take the gloves off as regards all of this neo-Mayan human sacrifice on the part of the Narco-Trafficantes?; 6/28/12, 4:40 AM
Anonymous said...: The ancient Germanic tribe of the Lombards were orginally called the 'langobards' ie the 'long-beards', because they literally sported long-beards as the tribal identification mark.
Another curious fact - all the members of the rock band ZZ Top sport long beards save drummer Frank Beard, who is clean shaven.; 6/28/12, 4:46 AM
Anonymous said...: On the other end of the spectrum.

When 34-year-old Mexican congressional candidate Natalia Juarez saw her progressive campaign floundering in the conservative city of Guadalajara, she decided not to pander to her voters. Instead she is challenging them - with nudity.

and not much obesity there!; 6/28/12, 4:55 AM
Anonymous said...: FYI, Beecher, Burlington, VT (9 percentage points) and Portsmouth, NH (3 percentage points) have more minorities than their state averages.; 6/28/12, 5:07 AM
DCThrowback said...: His mustache may be ill advised, but this Quadri guy has a great head of hair.; 6/28/12, 5:50 AM
TontoBubbaGoldstein said...: @ Beechet Asbury:

" Paging Senator Moynihan...."

Sorry for continuing OT, Steve.; 6/28/12, 6:08 AM
anony-mouse said...: The less religious Arab leaders almost always had moustaches: Nasser, Sadat, the Assads, Saddam, Abbas, Hariri, King Farouk, King Hussein...

I think its a (light to dark) brown thing.; 6/28/12, 6:17 AM
Harry Baldwin said...: It was through the power of his mustache that Vicente Fox was able to control George W. Bush. W's spine turned to jelly in its presence.; 6/28/12, 6:19 AM
Black Death said...: There's no doubt Mexico has lost a lot of ground in the mustache department lately. Just click on these images of Porfirio Diaz, Presidente (many would say dictator) of Mexico most of the time from 1876 to 1911. (http://www.google.com/search?q=porfirio+diaz&hl=en&noj=1&gbv=2&prmd=imvnsob&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=JVjsT4PpE-7-2QWqp-CbAQ&ved=0CGEQsAQ&biw=1600&bih=799)

Now that's a man with a mustache! And wasn't Taft the last US president to have any facial hair? That was 100 years ago. Looks like we've got some catching up to do too. ¡Viva el bigote!; 6/28/12, 6:31 AM
Anonymous said...: "Question, will those cities with the lowest unemployment be the next destination for diversity?"

The social and political networks that draw 3rd worlders have to be in place before they'll go somewhere, that those areas have survived thus far means that they are quite inhospitable to such interested parties.; 6/28/12, 7:12 AM
as said...: Thank God. Who likes mustaches anyway? How did they even come about?; 6/28/12, 7:22 AM
Beefy Levinson said...: Only four kinds of men look good with a mustache: old men, badasses, Spaniards, and porn stars.; 6/28/12, 9:21 AM
Rob said...: Growing to six and a half feet is another good way of convincing people you're not Indian.; 6/28/12, 1:11 PM
Let's! said...: A lot of dichotomies that Mexicans manipulate American suburbanites into thinking are US/Mexican things are actually city slicker/country mouse things.

Think of the Mexican 'stache like the American goatee.; 6/28/12, 1:18 PM
Reg Cæsar said...: A recent president of Ecuador had a "toothbrush" mustache, aka "Hitler" or "Chaplin" 'stache.; 6/28/12, 1:28 PM
Reg Cæsar said...: A recent leader of Ecuador sported a Hitlerian " toothbrush" mustache.; 6/28/12, 1:30 PM
Alcalde Jaime Miguel Curleo said...: That is an interesting point about Holder's putative "Operation Mach 3" but he nearly has a Mexican stache himself; 6/28/12, 3:12 PM
Beefy Levinson said...: This reminds me of my one time proposed Masters thesis: "The Decline and Fall of the British Mustache." At the height of the British Empire, most of its public figures had some impressive facial hair. Lord Kitchener's mustache is the stuff of legend.

The British Empire declined in almost exact proportion to the decline of its facial hair. Remember Anthony Eden's wispy little thing at the time of the Suez Crisis? Coincidence? I think not.; 6/28/12, 3:13 PM
Anonymous said...: apologies in advance for this old joke -

Why do Mexican men have mustaches?

So they can look like their mothers.; 6/28/12, 3:18 PM
Anonymous said...: Danny Trejo seems to have no problem growing a moustache...; 6/28/12, 3:36 PM
Anonymous said...: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/us/david-blankenhorn-drops-opposition-to-gay-marriage.html?src=recg

People who wanna be around power(and want a piece of the action) prefer to hang around winners. Since gays are winners, even conservatives are sucking up to them like they do to Zionists.

It's like what Tom Vu said. Stick with winners and the hell with losers.
Since gays(in tandem with Jews)have more power and clout than the conservative base, even conservative bigshots are pandering to gays.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYqDS9i8zJw

"Learn from success, not from failure."

Also, gays play it two ways: nice and bullying. The 'nice' way comes with lots of fawning flattery toward people they seek to convert. So, some gays are full of smiley praise for famous celebrities, rappers, athletes, and famous people. So, big-name people fall for the flattery and convert to the gay agenda. This is the diplomatic arm of the gay agenda.
But, once you're a convert, you must be a true believer and serve as a missionary to the gay cause. And those who refuse to convert are attacked of heresy with the full force of the media(controlled by Jews, the main allies of gays).

Christians played it the same way. One arm of Christianity would be full of niceness and full of love and try to win you over with niceness and song/dance/pageantry. But another arm of Christianity held a gun to your head and said if you don't join the one and only Church--if you don't take the offer you can't refuse--, you're gonna be burnt at the stake.

American conservatives are pathetic. They cannot even fight back something as shitty as 'gay marriage'. And it won't be long before conservative leaders all suck up to gays just like they suck up to Jews. It has nothing to do with justice or equality but about power-thirsty dogs seeking the approval and support of the winner-masters of society. With full support and protection of Jews, gays are a force to reckon with and suck up to if you wanna make it in America.

And even if you have lots of money and power, you better not support the anti-gay agenda. Why? The whole power apparatus controlled by Jews and gays will call for boycott of your company.
But conservatives don't call for any boycott of companies that support the gay agenda.
So, if a billionaire funds the gay agenda, he's met with no opposition. But if a billionaire funds to oppose the gay agenda, he will be hounded and destroyed by the powers that be.; 6/28/12, 3:56 PM
Anonymous said...: Middle Easterners still love big mustaches. Sometimes big beards also.
I think the custom dates back to ancient days when men wanted to show that they were not eunuchs.

- hhc174; 6/28/12, 4:50 PM
Tony said...: That guy Quadri looks like Fredo Corleone.; 6/28/12, 5:11 PM
Anonymous said...: 0.T. Topic Request

Biggest Ruling not Healthcare.

Lying about military record/awards now = protected speech

What will Dr. Jerry's "Legions" think?; 6/28/12, 5:32 PM
Anonymous said...: There was the contemporaneous joke from Paul Rodriguez or George Lopez about the "Axis of Evil" speech making Mexicans nervous because "you know we've all got at least 1 uncle who looks like Saddam Hussein"; 6/28/12, 7:11 PM
Anonymous said...: The decline of the popularity of mustaches in Mexico can only mean America's decadent values are spreading south. Pretty soon mexican men will be shaving their bodies like homosexual yanks.; 6/28/12, 7:13 PM
Anonymous said...: "Only four kinds of men look good with a mustache: old men, badasses, Spaniards, and porn stars."

Where does Tom Selleck fit in this equation?; 6/28/12, 7:21 PM
JI said...: Steve, you're awesome. I mean, Mexican Mustaches as a subject. Your topics are so, so, what do I want to say?, creative, I guess. You never disappoint me. Love your site.; 6/28/12, 7:38 PM
agnostic said...: The Dying Gaul had a cop-stache and a thick mullet-like hairdo. Some present-day styles are ancient in origin.

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/Barbarians/Essays/Pergamon1.jpg; 6/28/12, 7:50 PM
Anonymous said...: You don't need to look to Mexico. Almost every African American man has a mustache.; 6/28/12, 8:06 PM
Anonymous said...: The moustache is masculine.

I know this is an alien concept to you Americanos because your men try to look women, and your women try to look like men.

But for us rational human beings, the moustache makes perfect sense to provide masculine vigour.; 6/28/12, 8:56 PM
Anonymous said...: Just because a city has a low unemployment rate doesn't mean that there are jobs available there. A lot of those northern small white cities have sickly TFR and full employment ......with not a lot new hiring or growth. It's a weird limbo.

Bakken boom is an exception.; 6/28/12, 10:39 PM
Anonymous said...: The Dying Gaul had a cop-stache and a thick mullet-like hairdo.

Depictions of Celts, especially warriors, from Roman times often have long mustaches. Is this historically accurate? I don't think Germans of the period are depicted as having mustaches. Beards, but not mustaches.

I believe the Romans were big into shaving and didn't wear facial hair.; 6/29/12, 2:56 AM
Anonymous said...: It would not be a good look for Josofina

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josefina_V%C3%A1zquez_Mota; 6/29/12, 4:37 AM
Anonymous said...: Did you know that between the late 19th century and 1916 ALL enlisted men in the British army were actually obliged to wear moustaches as part of their dress commandments.; 6/29/12, 6:37 AM
Kylie said...: "Only four kinds of men look good with a mustache: old men, badasses, Spaniards, and porn stars."

There's a fifth kind: matinee idols. Ronald Colman, Errol Flynn, Laurence Olivier and my personal favorite, William Powell, all fall into this category.; 6/29/12, 8:09 AM
Anonymous said...: "You don't need to look to Mexico. Almost every African American man has a mustache."

I love it when commenters show up here from 1974.; 6/29/12, 8:20 AM
Anthony said...: Anonymous at 6/29 8:20 AM: They show up here because they can't just leave a message: http://xkcd.com/1072/

Steve - Sr. Quadri is just not handsome. Shaving off his mustache would make it worse, not better.; 6/29/12, 2:13 PM
Anonymous said...: Maybe AG Holder's lethal Fast & Furious fiasco also involved sending US-purchased razor blades south of the Rio Grande?

Something needs to be done about Holder's porn 'stache.; 6/29/12, 11:13 PM
Anonymous said...: All but two American presidents between 1860 and 1913 when America was most dynamic had facial hair.; 6/30/12, 1:55 PM
Dr Van Nostrand said...: "In contrast, some Northern European ethnic groups are not particularly hairy at all, the fair Finns being one example that springs to mind."

Possibly because Finns have type of Oriental/Lapp or otherwise Siberian blood.

Growing to six and a half feet is another good way of convincing people you're not Indian."

Or of Spanish heritage for that matter.Isnt Fox mostly Irish?

"I believe the Romans were big into shaving and didn't wear facial hair."

I think it was Alexander who popularized the clean shaven look ,before him both Greeks and Romans were bearded.

"All but two American presidents between 1860 and 1913 when America was most dynamic had facial hair."

Boy ,styles do change fast!In one of Bill Brysons book about America, he mentioned that a mob set upon a bearded man and had him beaten for not shaving in NY circa 1850!; 7/1/12, 5:06 AM
Anonymous said...: Mustache human-rights-violations from Syria now; 7/4/12, 9:03 PM