Josh pauses in his backyard to collect Buckeyes after a 30-minute run in the crisp October cold.
Deep in the hills of Appalachia, the sight of a rustic, bearded man does not cause alarm of surprise. Indeed, any man in a rural setting sporting a wealth of natural facial hair seems commonplace. Put that same man on stage in a major city in a competition for best facial hair, and that's a little out of the common comfort zone.
In Europe, Beard and Mustache competitions first appeared in the 1970s as a way for men to display their (often outrageous) facial hair. In 2003, the World Beard and Mustache Championships were held outside of Europe for the first time, in Carson City, Nev. Since then, beard and mustache competition have slowly grown in popularity throughout the United States.
Here in Appalachian Ohio, beards and mustaches are a common sight in everyday life. Yet in Ohio, Beard Teams are relatively few and the Ohio Beard and Mustache Competition & Festival is only in its second year. According to event organizers, the event has already grown in popularity since 2010. Although Athens has no affiliated club with Beard Team USA, last year the town made a strong showing at the competition both in competitors and wins.
This follows, or perhaps coincides with, a growing trend of urban youth cultures to show off their facial hair as an extension of their personal fashion statement. However that is not the case for everyone. Many still meticulously shave their faces every day in order to appear civilized in their own fashion. Most businessmen remain clean-shaven as this is still generally accepted as a component of professional business dress. For others, especially those in rural areas, facial hair is a natural outgrowth of personal appearance.
Athens resident Josh Birnbaum won second place in the Natural Mustache category at the first Ohio Beard and Mustache Competition & Festival last year. "We decided to make a showing for Athens," he explains, "…for being a small town we've got some sweet facial hair representation." And for him, representing facial hair is supremely important.
While Birnbaum's mustache is clearly the focus for many, he considers the mustache both as separate and indistinguishable from himself. "I love my mustache more than I love any other human being, really," he explains. "I learn more about my mustache every day." It's a "metaphor or representation of my relationship with myself", he concludes.
In a society that is only beginning to accept the pageantry of men based solely on their ability to grow and groom, it is important to understand why such events are becoming popular. While American men deemed facial hair important in the 19th century, this changed as more favorable toward clean-shaven faces in the 20th century. As we forge into the 21st century, strong facial hair may well make a significant comeback.
Birnbaum made a distinct impression on event organizers who are exited to have him compete this year and expect to see him take first place. "If he isn't competing this year...it's a mistake!" explained Thomas Maurice Smith, the coordinator and emcee for the event. According to the mustachioed Birnbaum "this competition is one of the biggest events of the year for my mustache and I. It's our chance to do outreach, to be an advocate for what we are and what we do. To show people that we are unique and that we are different and that we are out there to change people's mind's about facial hair."
Yet Birnbaum did not always feel this way about facial hair and advocacy. Fed up with shaving by sophomore year in high school, he was "the only 15-year-old in Redondo Beach [Calif.] with a full-grown beard." Ridiculed by his peers for being different, much in the way of teens across the country, Birnbaum became determined to live and dress by his own values.
"So basically I was eschewing all those values that L.A. was placing on me, and setting up my own value system, and defying those stereotypes of what you had to be as a good teenager or good person in Los Angeles." He goes on to explain, "it made me very angry a lot of the time; it also made me stronger and it made my desire to continue growing facial hair stronger and it also made my desire to…to be an advocate for facial hair."
Surely Birnbaum can be said to advocate for facial hair represents Athens in the Second Annual Ohio Beard and Mustache Competition. Despite the seriousness and intensity of such competitors, the competition is truly a fun, lighthearted experience. Under each category on the competition website, bold letters proclaim: "Costumes / Super fancy outfits encouraged." For Birnbaum, this comes in the form of a pink unicorn costume.
The combination of sweet facial hair and the form of a pink unicorn should no doubt push Birnbaum over the edge to winning first place in the natural mustache category. But even without a win, even without a competition, Birnbaum and his mustache have achieved a strength and determination that many people never find. To advocate for anything, let alone something so natural as facial hair, is something most don't have the time or patience to do.
As beard and mustache competitions gain underground popularity, perhaps men like Birnbaum will fall closer to the mainstream. Or perhaps he and a few other facial hair aficionados will remain oddities in their communities. Either way, the natural mustache is quite remarkable sight.
Listen to the announcement of winners:
All in all the Natural Mustache category was the smallest of the competition, boasting only four competitors. Most men entered the Full Beard Groomed and Full Beard Natural, which together took almost 90 minutes to show. Most men certainly took to heart the costumes and super fancy outfits encouraged by the festival, though Birnbaum certainly dressed the most outlandish.
While some men arrived bare-chested or or with little covering their legs, Birnbaum's choice to attend barefoot and all in pink was certainly the most interesting sight. Perhaps most notably, the other three Natural Mustache competitors eschewed "super fancy outfits" to dress comfortably, causing the pink unicorn to stick out even more. Some spectators enjoyed the unicorn costume, commenting, shaking hands with Birnbaum, and asking to take his picture, but overall the costume seemed lost on the men attending to celebrate the masculinity of facial hair.
"The crowd reaction was a little bit milder than thought it should be," Birnbaum noted, "but there were some people who saw me and thought immediately: 'Man, I love this pink unicorn.'" Judged however on the strength of facial hair alone, he walked away with the same mustache place as last year. "The guy who won first place had a fucking incredible mustache" Birnbaum conceded.
In the end, Birnbaum intends to enter Beard Team Ohio's competition next year, but not play into the competitiveness and pageantry any more than necessary. For him, facial hair is about being natural, organic, and true to himself rather than impressing anyone else. And that, truly, embodies a natural mustache.
Light plays across Josh's room as he checks on all the components of his competition outfit.