In Iran, it’s always Movember

GlobalPost

TEHRAN — To hear locals tell it, having a moustache in Iran makes you either a communist, a gangster, an intellectual, a Sufi dervish, an ancient warrior, or — most recently — a hipster. Among other things.

The moustache variety and symbolism here is endless, as is the nuance of its message.

There’s the old bazaari shopkeeper moustache, epitomizing the alpha male who “probably drinks and has his own code of ethics.”

There’s the rap ‘stache, typifying a guy who “listens to indecent music and probably has a girlfriend, also indecent.”

Or the eccentric, old-generation business man whiskers, suggestive of a gentleman “mostalgic” for the Shah days. And let’s not forget the bushy Kurdish moustache, a piece of manhood so important in the Kurdistan culture it makes every Movember photo look like an insult to masculinity.

It’s not easy for an outsider to comb through, so to speak, all the facial manscaping varieties of the Iranian male and decipher what they say about a man. And they almost say something. A clean-shaven look typically represents a liberal mindset, while the clerical, full-beard look is worn by more traditional Muslims. (But not always.)

Some local moustache aficionados claim that it is an important symbol of Iran’s majority Shia Muslim population precisely because it is the exact opposite of the Sunni beard. 

“Just look at the Taliban guys. They have a full beard, but they trim the moustache,” said one of the portrayed men. “We do it the other way around.” 

And it is the moustache — a loophole in that highly disputed territory somewhere between a beard and clean shave — that's becoming more and more popular here. Some see its rise as a revival of Iran's past glores. After all, the very first portrait showing a shaved man with a moustache is thought to be an ancient Iranian horseman from 300 BC.

Or, more recently, take Ali Daei, former captain of the Iranian National Soccer Team and one of Iran's most celebrated men. In his prime, he possessed the greatest moustache in international sports, period.

Others associate whiskers with Iran’s rising modernity and creative rebellion, claiming that the real estate between the nose and the mouth is the one place where a man can get, well, a bit of a breather.

An Iranian photographer, Javad Tizmagzh, and I have traveled around Iran, talking to men about their moustaches. Here's a selection of their portraits and stories.

1) Siavash, 43, tour guide, Yazd

His moustache could have easily been a marriage deal breaker. Back when his parents found a bride for him and he first saw her, he wanted to be honest with her.

"I want you to know that I’ll always have this moustache. I hope you can be O.K. that," he said. She was fine with it, but the imam officiating the marriage wasn’t, asking Siavash to at least trim his moustache for the ceremony.

"I’d rather cut off my head than shave off my moustache," Siavash told the imam.

He’s kept his moustache ever since. It’s the moustache, he believes, they made him into the infamous "character" he is today.

"I enjoy being that character," he said. "It has gotten me many jobs."

2) Hassan, 27, art student, Tehran

As a theater and film lover, Hassan said it was Martin Scorsese’s film "Gangs of New York" that inspired him to grow his moustache.

"I’m Daniel Day Lewis," he said, as he posed for the camera after the screening of Brian Clark’s play "Whose Life Is it Anyway" in Tehran’s Honarmandan Park Theatre.

3) Parsa, 16, student and an aspiring singer, Shiraz

In an outfit resembling American hip hop stars, sporting a New York Yankees baseball cap and adolescent rap-stache ala Ludacris, Parsa revealed — in excellent English, no less — he, too, wants to be a famous singer, live abroad and be celebrated by millions.

"I want to go by the name Parsan. It sounds better," he said. "Look for me at the Grammy’s in five years."

4) Mohammad, 40, truck driver, Yazd

A self-proclaimed bad boy, Mohamed likes to party — a challenging hobby to maintain in Iran. He's been trying to funnel his party energy toward traditional Persian dancing instead, and has also recently discovered espresso. "I drink it because I need to lose some weight," he said.

He expressed pride at the genetic superiority of Persians when it comes to cultivating proper moustaches. In a moment of brief self-reflection, he summarized his view of the world this way: "Iranians are better at growing moustaches, but Europeans are much better in bed."

5) Amir, 74, waiter at Cafe Naderi, Tehran

While handing out dozens of Turkish coffees in Cafe Naderi — old Tehran’s most beloved cafe, once frequented by poets and intellectuals  — Amir sometimes gets nostalgic for the old days.

"I have worked here for 50 years," he said.

He remembers the golden age of the cafe, back when they used to have shows, live music and dancing outside in the back yard. 

"I love my job," he said. "But the great years are gone."

6) Reza, 34, architecture engineer, Bojnourd

Rezna plays "varzesh-e pahlavani," an ancient Persian sport that was once used to train warriors, and since all the ancient hero-athletes had moustaches, he grew one, too.

"In Iran, especially in previous generations, men had moustaches and they thought a man should grow a moustache to show his manhood," he said.

Although the moustache masculinity still holds true, he also believes it’s utterly important that a moustache "goes with the man." Not everyone can pull one off.

There’s also a bit of moustache rivalry in Iran, he explained.

"Of course the men try to excite other men’s jealousy and show their pride by showing who can grow a more attractive moustache," he said.

7) Hamed, 51, bird shop owner, Yazd

Hamed's family, like many conservative Iranian families, emigrated from the country in the 20th century. (Most of them left after the liberal-minded Shah Reza ruled that women cannot wear hijab in public in 1936). That’s why he was born in Iraq.

"I have been back here in Iran for 40 years," he said while chain-smoking. "I run a bird shop just around the corner. Come visit. Come for lunch."

8) Saeid, 35, author, film director and actor, Tehran

Saeid is into philosophy and describes himself as an idealistic thinker stuck in the real world. He used to have a full beard, but shaved it to play a moustached character in a movie. Once the film was over, he realized he'd grown attached to his moustache and decided to keep it.

"My family was completely against it," he said. "So, of course, I had to keep it."

But it’s not just pure rebellion. He likes his moustache because he identifies with the Kurdish part of his family.

"For the Kurds, moustaches are very important," he said.

9) Hossein, 37, graphic designer, Tehran

As a heavy metal fan, Hossein’s moustache-cum-beard was initially inspired by James Hetfield, the lead singer of Metallica.

"I liked Metallica back in the days. It’s way too commercial now," he said. Nowadays, he prefers bands like Anathema and Electric Litany.

As for facial hair, he is a fan of the "biker gang" look.

10) Ali, 25, artist, Langarood

Ali likes handle bars, both on his bicycle and his upper lip. An avid cyclist, he dreams of biking around the world with his girlfriend. (Shhh, he isn’t actually supposed to have a girlfriend.)

He grew his moustache because both his father and his uncle had moustaches and they'd been his heroes since he was a child.

"I feel closer to the people when I have a moustache," he said after he had to shave it off for his military service.

Most of his friends, and his girlfriend, think he looks more handsome with a moustache. Only a few of them think it makes him look old. "Only once somebody told me I looked like a carriage driver with my moustache," he said.

11) Mr. Khamoushi, 46, security guard, Yazd

Cultivating a world-class, classic police moustache, Mr. Khamoushi works as a guard in the magnificent Dowlat Abad Garden in Yazd.

"But I used to be a police man," he said.

In Iran, a moustache has historically symbolized trust. Whether police officers or bazaari shopkeepers, Persian men always used their moustaches as collateral.

To use the Farsi expression "sibil gero gozashtan," or to give a "hair from one’s moustache," is a form of declaration on word of honor.

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