As hundreds of thousands of reservists have flocked to report for service amid the IDF’s ongoing conflict with the Hamas terrorist organization, a startling trend has emerged across many of their faces. As these military men post selfies and group photos from the line of duty, the number of guys deliberately sporting mustaches is enough to make Sam Elliot raise an eyebrow.
The military’s mustache movement
For most of the 1900s, one couldn’t shake a stick without prodding somebody’s mustache — sadly though, at the turn of the century they fell out of style. For the past couple of decades, clean shaven faces and full beards — be they tight or bushy — have enjoyed a long and luxurious tenure in the facial hair spotlight, as the solitary mustache has withered away in the corner.
However, in Israel, the solo ‘stache may be making a comeback. Though claims of the origin of the trend may be apocryphal, one of the first instances noted was in a photo of a platoon in the 55th Brigade of the Paratroopers Division posted earlier this month. In a spontaneous effort to replicate a classic picture of IDF paratroopers at the Western Wall, reservist Noam Koren and his friend led nearly his entire squad to shave their faces, saving only their mustaches.
“We grabbed a haircut machine in the hall we were in and did almost the entire battalion,” Koren told Ynet, noting that after they posted their picture, “it just gained traction, we saw that there were also armorers who copied us.”
From there, it has spread like wildfire. It seems as though everyone knows a reserve soldier who has bought in on the trend, cultivating their mustache to resemble those worn by young men serving during the Yom Kippur and ‘73 wars.
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For some though, growing a mustache is simply out of the question. “Well I can't grow a mustache, I have like no facial hair,” said B., a disgruntled reservist working in IDF intelligence. “It just ends up looking like some stray hairs made their way onto my upper lip.”
Even for those who are more lush in the facial hair department, it can be a big commitment to lose their entire beard just to join in on a goofy trend — but they’re still finding ways to participate in the fun.
“I didn’t have the courage to do the full mustache, which would mean taking off all my beard and just leaving the mustache, but I definitely cut my beard much, much shorter than my mustache so that you can really see the mustache,” said Koby, a reservist combat support soldier stationed in Beersheba.
“I don’t know whether it’s because they want to look like [they did in] the Yom Kippur War, or if it’s just because it looks good on a uniform, but everyone is starting to do it,” he added.
Koby told The Jerusalem Post that he became aware of the trend via his girlfriend. “She kind of told me I have to do it — I didn’t really have much choice. Apparently girls really like mustaches.”
As it were, the jury is out on that point.
“I’m pro the mustache trend — just not on my husband,” said Shai, a teacher from the center whose husband is currently serving reserve duty in Israel’s northern region. In her opinion, the mustache movement has a great heart, but sadly it doesn’t work for everyone.
”I think that it's a great trend: it shows solidarity and it's giving a very good morale boost to the people and something to gather around — just, specifically for my husband, I think it'd be hideous,” she said.
“Like, it's gonna be so ugly. He usually has a full beard. I’ve only known him as having a full beard. And to think about him taking the beard off and leaving only a mustache… I think it's gonna look terrible,” she elaborated.
The return of the soup strainer?
Today in Israel, the mustache is experiencing a crucible moment. Forged in the fires of comradery, brotherhood, and looking like Miles Teller in Top Gun Maverick, the stache has the power to stick the landing onto the upper lips of people throughout the country — but the question remains whether this resurgence will have staying power beyond the military context.
“I don't know if Israel has ever been a trendsetter for anything, but it could be that in Israel it becomes really sexy, though,” said Hadas, a fashion designer currently studying at the prestigious NB Haifa School of Design. According to her, if Israeli men decide to go whole hog on the mustachioed look, there is ample material to work with.
“We have our own look here where everyone in the entire country has a full face of hair and beard, goatee and everything,” she said. After a moment of consideration, she doubled down on her prediction. “Let’s say ‘yes’ to the mustache. Yes in Israel, and yes in the world. And let’s see what happens.”
Thanks to trends on social media apps such as TikTok, recent years have seen the reemergence of many popular fashion choices from the 70s, such as bell bottoms, circular-lens sunglasses, and living in a bus. But will the ongoing trend be the kick necessary to help mustaches fight their way back into the limelight?
Only time will tell. For now, readers can at least rest assured that Israel’s sons, fathers, and brothers on the front lines will have warm lips in the coming winter days.