The Mustache Comeback: Why Everyone's Rocking One Again!

The Mustache is Making a COMEBACK… But Why?

I can’t walk out the door or scroll through Instagram without seeing a mustache. Like, when did we all decide that the ‘lip caterpillar’ was the next big thing? One second, clean-shaven was the gold standard, and the next—BAM!—every guy looks like he just stepped out of an 80s action movie.

But how did the mustache crawl back from the depths of "cringe" culture and reclaim its spot on the upper lip of trendsetters everywhere? Turns out, this hairy comeback is one for the history books.

The Mustache Almost Didn't Survive

Believe it or not, the mustache was once the power move for men. Think warriors, royalty, and even entire armies rocking staches like they were battle armor.

The earliest recorded mustache dates back to around 400 AD, spotted on a statue of a Gaul warrior. Back then, having a mustache wasn’t just about looking cool—it was a flex. If you had one, you probably had money, status, or a sharp sword (or all three).

The mustache became an even bigger deal when militaries started making it mandatory. Yeah, you heard that right. British soldiers from 1860 to 1916 had to have a mustache as part of their uniform. It was a way to separate soldiers from civilians and, apparently, scare enemies.

But then World War I happened, and gas masks became essential. A bushy mustache got in the way of a tight seal, which meant soldiers had to choose between keeping their stache or… breathing. (Guess which one won.)

By World War II, the mustache took an even bigger hit. Some of the most infamous figures of the war—Hitler, Stalin, and Hirohito—all sported mustaches, forever linking certain styles to absolute horror. The mustache wasn’t intimidating anymore—it was straight-up cursed.

Hollywood Saves the Stache (Kinda)

After WWII, the mustache faded into the background. The clean-shaven look took over, with big names like JFK and James Dean making the babyface the gold standard.

Then, the 1960s and 70s brought a mustache revival, thanks to pop culture. Robert Redford sported one in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Beatles all grew mustaches for their Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. But it wasn’t until the 1980s that the mustache went full-on superstar.

Enter Tom Selleck.

The Magnum P.I. star and his glorious Chevron mustache defined masculinity for the era. He wasn’t alone—Burt Reynolds, Hulk Hogan, and even cartoon characters like Mario made mustaches iconic again.

But the real turning point? Top Gun.

While Tom Cruise’s Maverick stayed clean-shaven, his best friend, Goose, rocked a legendary military stache. That look was burned into pop culture history, and the mustache was officially cool again.

The 90s and 2000s: Mustache = Cringe?

The mustache held strong in the 80s but got hit with another style shift in the 90s and early 2000s. As alternative and punk styles took over, mustaches became “dad-like” or “too establishment.” If you weren’t in the military or a truck driver, chances were, you weren’t growing a stache.

Then came hipster culture.

By the late 2000s, mustaches made a weirdly ironic comeback. They weren’t grown to look cool—they were grown to be funny. Hipsters loved anything not mainstream, so they leaned into the awkwardness of mustaches. They paired them with flannels, thick glasses, and an “I was into this before it was cool” attitude.

Suddenly, mustaches weren’t just on faces—they were everywhere. Printed on shirts, tattooed on fingers, plastered on mugs. It was so over-the-top that it became the ultimate millennial cringe.

The final nail in the coffin? Movember.

While Movember raised awareness for men’s health (which is awesome), it also meant that mustaches became a once-a-year joke. By 2012, mustache fatigue set in, and the trend died again.

The Gen Z Revival – Why Mustaches Are Back in 2025

You’d think that after being labeled “cringe,” the mustache would never make a comeback. But Gen Z had other plans.

Over the last few years, there’s been a massive 80s nostalgia wave—from Stranger Things to Fleetwood Mac going viral on TikTok. People started embracing vintage fashion, and with that came the return of the mustache.

The game-changer? Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

Miles Teller’s mustache as Rooster (Goose’s son) became an instant phenomenon. TikTok went wild for it, and suddenly, every dude was shaving his beard into a mustache.

Gen Z isn’t just copying past trends—they’re reinventing them. Instead of just rocking the classic Chevron mustache, they’re experimenting with different styles, pairing them with mullets, buzz cuts, or even gender-neutral fashion.

Even big brands noticed. In 2022, Gillette launched a whole line of products dedicated to mustache and beard grooming, after seeing a huge spike in facial hair trends. London Fashion Week even had a mustache-styling station for runway models.

Will the Mustache Stay, or Is It Another Passing Trend?

So, is the mustache here for good?

Right now, it’s thriving, but history shows that facial hair trends come and go. Gen Alpha (kids currently growing up) will be the ultimate decider. Will they see mustaches as cool or cringe?

Or will Top Gun 3 drop in ten years and restart the cycle all over again?

One thing’s for sure: The mustache has been killed off before, and it always finds a way back.

Stay ahead of the trends and keep your style game sharp with Woke Waves Magazine—where Gen Z fashion, culture, and history collide.

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