A few days ago, we presented you with a guide for experimenting with your beard styles. We also put up a strong defense of the sometimes vilified and mocked hipster beard. Since the topic has been opened, we would like to examine a unique world and subculture you may not have heard about until now: the world beard and moustache championships. Yes, you read that right, and yes, it’s just as upbeat and fun as you probably already imagined it to be.

Yes, it’s quite hipster-ish (which isn’t a word). This sort of competition falls into a recent hipster beard debate. This debate has split sides down the middle between the beard-praising enthusiasts (as I am) and the beard-bashing whiners. These people decry the beard as a compensation for the loss of masculinity as it once was. I believe that the way men choose to style their beards should be as free as the way women choose to color (or not color) their hair. It should not indicate something about the quality of the person sporting said style. Last but not least, beards look and feel pretty friggen awesome. I think those aesthetics count for something. So, let’s raise a glass to the beard resurgence and the World Beard and Moustache Championships.

The History of the World Beard and Moustache Championships

The only unfortunate consequence of the relatively new hipster beard resurgence is the fact that these World Beard and Moustache Championships don’t really have a rich history. The first time the completion took place was in 2007. It was organized as a convention that reunited some of the world’s largest association and clubs that already were centered on their members’ facial hair. The history of these modern contemporary clubs celebrating beards and moustaches is arguably older than the relative novelty of the competition itself.

The styles and categories in the World Beard and Moustache Championships should speak for themselves about the historic value of the beard. “Hungarian moustache”, “Musketeer”, “Garibaldi” and “Imperial” are all styles which proudly reflect the rich history of the beard and moustache styles that mankind experimented with. The World Beard and Moustache Championships aren’t quite as new as some may think because the beard is a more contemporary style. Only recently have beards become something exotic enough to spark up a special competition dedicated to them. Not that anyone is complaining about competition, of course.

Who Competes in the World Beard and Moustache Championships

If you’re wondering about where the contestants of these competitions come from, you will be pleased to know that most Western countries have a team of awesomely styled hairy men competing. That includes, of course, the United States. More details about the American team can be found here. If you want to check them out or maybe even manage to get involved in the club, the next public event will take place in Montana at the Red Ants Pants Music Festival in Sulphur Springs. This festival will be held on July 26^th 2014.