Ladies, you might want to start paying better attention to your guys’ grooming habits, because it’s officially November, which marks the start of Movember, the global campaign that encourages men to grow mustaches throughout the month.
MORE: 25 Underwear Models From the 1940s to Now
Started in 2003, the initiative officially seeks to raise awareness and funds for the fight against prostate and testicular cancer, but unofficially it lets us take an entire month to reflect on the oddity that is the mustache, that very specific tuft of facial hair most typically affiliated with ’70s porn stars, ’80s dads, sheriffs, dictators, and rock stars.
MORE: 25 Celebrity Names You’re Pronouncing Wrong
They might be considered an object of pure camp now, but throughout the mid-to-late 20th century, the mustache—in various incarnations—was a legitimate trend that had zero trace of underlying irony or humor (see: photos of your dad in the ’80s.) Since then, it’s receded into a territory reserved for hipsters and quirky dudes (as evidenced by James Franco‘s 2010 ‘stache.)
In honor of Movember, we decided to round up 11 real men (and one animated man) famous for making the mustache (sort of) cool.
