What’s the fuzz these days?

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Be it Ranveer Singh in Ram Leela or Imran Khan in Once Upon A Time in Mumbai Dobaara, the younger crop of actors have brought back facial fuzz — handlebar moustaches, sideburns et al — into the spotlight.

While the Khans, Kumars and Kapoors may have started the trend, it is the young’uns who have fleshed out the trend and made it a crazy fad. According to Toronto Life, the bearded look was more popular last year on the various red carpets of the world; the metrosexual look it seems has been kicked out entirely by the urban male this year.
“Indian culture never supported the clean shaven look. While the quintessential urban male did sport the chocolate boy image now and then, it looks like the macho culture is here to stay. I believe that a moustache always makes a guy look manlier and the best example is cricketer Shikhar Dhawan. Actors may have adopted the unkempt look for the moment, as their films demand the same, but I think that this trend is yet another phase. Facial fuzz trends keep changing and I believe that this too shall pass,” says celebrity hair stylist Javed Habib.
One would imagine letting the hair run wild and unkempt is a sign of laziness but in fact maintaining that “I-don’t-give-a-damn” look requires quite a bit of effort. Probably one reason why coiffeurs think that although hugely popular now, the trend may be short-lived after all. “The latest moustache-beard combo that has been brought into the limelight is not only much more relaxed, but also looks suave and cool. While this form of assertive masculinity has pushed its way onto the red carpet several times, it is also being sported in a number of Bollywood as well as Hollywood productions. But this is a phase, because maintaining a well-groomed beard and a moustache takes a lot of time and effort, both of which cannot be spared,” says Clint Fernandes, celebrity make-up and hair stylist.
Facial hair on men through the ages has been a symbol of social status, cultural identity, virility and of course masculinity. So while some like sporting raggedy fuzz like Alexander Skarsgard’s, others enjoy keeping it quiet like David Beckham’s. For the typical Indian male, keeping a moustache and beard is a sign of cultural identity and a matter of pride, though it is not so anymore. “In Indian culture, moustaches have always depicted masculinity and pride. Smooth has never been so sellable in India. The younger Bollywood stars are sporting moustache and beard combos not only for their upcoming films, but also I believe, because they want to do away with their boyish features. Look at Imran Khan for example, when clean-shaven, he looks so young. He isn’t very muscular either so there is nothing macho about him. But with the facial fuzz that he has just started sporting, he does look more mature. The same goes for Arjun Kapoor,” explains image consultant Priya Warrick.
One thing that facial fuzz does is to give some men a feeling of virility in a way that unquestionably asserts their orientation. Which is perhaps why now more than ever a lot of heterosexual men are turning to this look. Celebrity hair stylist from Delhi, Renuka Pillai believes that this look will always remain popular in India. “Virility matters in this nation and moustaches are a symbol of that. Men do not like their sexuality questioned and the metrosexual avatar sometimes tends to flirt with that. So while advertisements can afford to have metrosexual men, films in India still need to have macho-looking heroes, the reason why this trend has always been so popular and will keep rearing its macho head up time and again,” explains Pillai.

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