I really laughed when I read this article on how middle eastern men are having mustache implants. Apparently thick luxurious mustaches symbolize prestige and indicate maturity and dignity. (Alas, I got this information too late as I’ve had my moustache permanently removed.)
Here are excerpts from the CNN article - along with my commentary (of course):
“Thick, handsome mustaches have long been prized by men throughout the Middle East as symbols of masculine virility, (and THAT’S precisely the reason I decided to have laser treatment to remove mine ) wisdom and maturity.
“But not all mustaches are created equal, and in recent years, increasing numbers of Middle Eastern men have been going under the knife to attain the perfect specimen.”
“Turkish plastic surgeon Selahattin Tulunay says the number of mustache implants he performs has boomed in the last few years. He now performs 50-60 of the procedures a month, (judging by the number of women sitting with me in the waiting room there are 50-60 procedures to remove an hour) on patients who hail mostly from the Middle East and travel to Turkey as medical tourists.”
Members of Iraq’s parliament vote in 2002. Luxurious mustaches became ubiquitous during Saddam Hussein’s rule, but have been seen as a symbol of high social status since Ottoman times.
“My impression is more and more they want to establish their male aspect,” he said. “They want a strong mustache.” (I’m trying to downplay my male aspect – I ‘ve been told too many times I think like a man)
” . . . surgeons use a technique — follicular unit extraction — in which groups of hairs are taken from areas of dense hair growth (the article didn’t say where those dense hair growth areas were and I think it might not be prudent to ask) to be implanted in the mustache area.
Bouhanna said the patients were generally aged between 30 and 50, and were able to fly home the day after they had the procedure, which costs about $7,000 (€5,500) and is performed under local anesthetic.” (No anesthesia and it HURT)
“They are able to wash the next day, had to abstain from shaving for 15 days, and could expect to see full results after six months.” (I could wash immediately and I HAD to shave – or wax the day before treatment cuz the little laser works better – who knew)
“In Turkey, different styles of mustache carry their own political nuances. According to one research paper, mustaches with drooping sides signify a conservative, nationalist bent, left-wingers favor mustaches like Stalin, while a “political religious” mustache is carefully groomed, with “cleanliness as its guiding principle.” (Mine was rather sparse, didn’t turn up or down. I wonder if that means mine signified middle-of-the road-womanly-submission? I hope so. . . need to believe that SOMETHING about it was FEMININE!)
“Tulunay said some of his patients had specific looks in mind. “They have some celebrities as role models,” (I was hoping to look like a MATURE Angelina Joli or a YOUNG Sophia Loren.)
I was told I needed more treatments.
To help YOU decide whether to transplant or eradicate read the entire article by Tim Hume, for CNN for more interesting info, click HERE
ps and we’re not even talking chin hair either.
P.S. OUCH!
The most import issue here is PAIN. Waxing is excruciating for me, I would think laser would be too. I don’t care about the men and their mustaches, after menopause hairs pop up in all the wrong places. Sometimes you can get away with a razor but i have sensitive skin and once I got the old stache waxed, I couldn’t enjoy it because in it’s place was a line of small, even ugly blemishes. Why do women have all these problems. It’s not fair.
Laurie,
Where is it written that life is supposed to be FAIR?
Laser was painful but I had paid in advance .. .
You are hilarious! Even if your experience wasn’t , the retelling is priceless. We’ve gotta laugh, girl, or we’re gonna cry, for sure!
WabiSabi! Yup! We gotta laugh!
Menopause does strange things to our bodies doesn’t it. I am very fair so luckily no one really can see my hairy face. (Sounds like a Sesame Street character…..Ms. Hairy Face) I don’t have to shave my legs as often as I did when I was younger so what’s with that? The hair travels to our upper lip and takes residence? Sheesh!
Mo,
Hair goes up, all the rest goes down.
No one told us when we were younger that as we got older (not matured) we’d have a mustache! Not distinguished at all in my book…. I, too, got mine waxed and it hurts like hell. Laser is next after I recover from the last waxing….
BTW….great minds…..I was told I think like a man by my ex…..(I don’t understand that because I didn’t like the way he thinks at all!!)
Rose,
Groupon special – $99 for six treatment. (otherwise I’m too cheap to have had it done) Took me 1/2 hour each way to drive there, took the nurse all of 2 1/2 minutes a session. It was really painful and I think that’s because of the fibro sensitivity to pain. But for 2 1/2 minutes being beautiful is worth it! Right? RIGHT!
P.S. they told me to have it waxed before each session – no way!!!!!! – I shaved!