Mustache acceptance and fashion has waxed and waned, even in North Dakota, where they seem to be the facial hair style of choice. The mustache has followed a slightly longer cycle of near-extermination than the once mighty buffalo did. Both once inhabited the Great Plains in droves, from the Mississippi River west and north into Canada, but now, instead of having a great number of wooly beasts roaming everywhere you look, they can be seen in large numbers only on farms and ranches.
North Dakota has been a haven for mustaches since before it became a state in 1989. Its founders were of Scandinavian and European decent who wore mustaches from the time they could grow them until they were buried. Historical photos from the turn of the century clearly show that mustaches were worn by at least 50% of North Dakota’s male population over the age of eight. Like the wind and the cold, the state tree (the telephone pole) and the state bird (the mosquito), the mustache is a symbol of the hardiness of the people who live in this great state.
Up until the 1990s, mustaches in North Dakota were typically accompanied by cowboy boots and western shirts. Many still are; however, mustaches are now also paired with tank tops and flip flops or t-shirts and athletic shoes, especially near boats and water, and at events such as demolition derbies, stock car races, and the McQuade Softball Tournament, held in the state capital of Bismarck every summer.
High school yearbooks and wedding photos stolen from my parents display the popularity of mustaches in small town NoDak during the late 1960s and early 1970s. As far back as I can remember, almost everyone's dad/uncle/grandfather had a mustache. My own father has sported several variations on the handlebar since he was a senior in high school in 1969. In all the time I have known him, he has shaved it off exactly one time. This alteration in appearance caused anxiety and confusion for those close to him. I was around four years old. I screamed and cried when he tried to pick me up from the babysitter. My mother just kept asking him if he had gotten a haircut. It haunts me to this day. Just north of South Dakota and just south of Canada, many young cowboys wear mustaches and other facial hair, while older gentlemen, for reasons unknown, are choosing to wear their faces clean shaven. Do the men who no longer proudly display their mustaches understand the impact of their previously furry upper lip on younger generations of mustache-growers? I do not believe they grasp the mixed signals they are sending the younger mustache-capable set.
Even in these hard mustache times, the Governor of North Dakota, John Hoeven, understands the importance of the mustache and has cultivated a full, neatly-kept, chevron of hair beneath his nose. As with most mustached men in North Dakota, his choice of facial hair implies that he is steady, hard-working, no-nonsense, responsible, and maybe even a little rugged. The former Governor, Ed Schafer, also had a mustache (but larger and fuller). These high-ranking officials are leaders, not only for the people of their state, but for the once great mustached North Dakotan!
With a little support, from formerly-mustached citizens to state leaders, the North Dakota mustache will not only remain alive and well, but will spread beyond farms and ranches and small rural towns, increasing to their once great numbers.