Victorian Facial Hair

Prior to the Victorian era, it was considered uncouth for men to sport any sort of facial hair. During the age of Queen Victoria, however, a man could not be seen without sporting some form of facial hair, whether it was a beard, mustache, muttonchops or a goatee. Victorian facial hair became a symbol of masculinity at a time when gender roles were more emphasized. According to Victorian standards, men should appear manly while women should appear as living dolls that required the company of the male gender at all times. Gone are the androgynous days of the seventeenth through eighteenth centuries when men regularly sported stockings, wigs and sometimes makeup. Victorian facial hair was a far departure and came to symbolize the more masculine features of men.

Even in an age of conformity, it is nice to know that even men who sported the same fashion could still retain some measure of individuality when it came to facial hair. After the industrial revolution of the early 1800s, shaving equipment became more advanced which led to beard and mustache customization. Victorian facial hair came in many forms: the van dyke, fu Manchu, Sparrow, Hulibee along with many other styles.

The great thing about Victorian facial hair is that it did not even have to be a certain length or retain a certain form according to societal standards. Some beards could be as long or short according to the individual’s preference. There are several reasons why men were allowed to sport such facial hair including more emphasis on masculinity, but also sexual expression in an age of repression of the individual. Victorian facial hair for men could have secretly sported such fashion to attract sexually repressed young ladies who were eager to see how gentlemen uniquely sculpted their facial hair.