Magnum P.I. (Tom Selleck), Groucho Marx, Yosemite Sam, Wyatt Earp, Burt Reynolds, Zorro, Errol Flynn, Charlie Chaplin and Ned Flanders all have one thing in common.
A mustache. Each wears him in his own way yet each is memorable. For example, without his neatly trimmed mustache, Charlie Chaplin would have been just another bum, but because of it, he was a delightful Little Tramp.
The mustache was a serious statement of manliness and fashion.
When I was a kid the mustache was still very much in. It was the heyday of Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds. The mustache was a serious statement of manliness and fashion. But somewhere along the way, it came to represent the uncool and out of touch.
The mustache was a serious statement of manliness and fashion. But somewhere along the way, it came to represent the uncool and out of touch.
Perhaps it was Ned Flanders who helped rob the mustache of its power and status or perhaps he was the manifestation of the social sentiment at the time – who can say?
Just over a decade ago a group of Australian men began a quest to simultaneously cure cancer and bring back the ‘stache.
Thus was borne, Movember, an annual charity movement that calls upon men to grow a mustache for the month of November in order to increase awareness of prostate cancer and raise funds to help fight it.
2006 was still a rather hostile time for the mustache and the movement of Movember was not well-known.
I first participated in Movember in 2006, just two years after its inception. 2006 was still a rather hostile time for the mustache and the movement of Movember was not well-known. This caused countless nasty looks from strangers and a constant need to explain to friends and co-workers why I’d suddenly started growing a creepy mustache (admittedly, it was not a good look for me).
This caused countless nasty looks from strangers and a constant need to explain to friends and co-workers why I’d suddenly started growing a creepy mustache (admittedly, it was not a good look for me).
It even caused a friend and co-Movemberer real emotional pain when he met some distant relatives for the first time that Thanksgiving.
He never saw them again and will forever be known to them as, “that guy with the mustache,” even though he only had one for the 30 days of November. Today it is a much different story. Most everyone has heard of Movember plus facial hair is back “in.”
As a testament to the success of Movember the flip flop brand, Cobian, partnered with Movember to create a Movember flip flop that was only available that November.
I came across a pair recently at my local discount retailer and had to give them a try.
Apart from the hip moustache embossed on the side of the strap and again on the heel of the footbed they aren’t a very attractive flip flop.
The mustache is great, but the rest is the flip flop equivalent of khaki pants. A bit bulky and something that “Dad” would wear. It’s not terrible but it’s not so great either.
The footbed is quite comfortable and neatly pockmarked with tiny little holes.
Are they there for comfort, grip, sweat dissipation, or just aesthetics?
They resemble the stubble of a 5 o’clock shadow. They’d be a 5 on comfort were it not for two irritating flaws.
The first is at the arch of the foot where a patch of leather, embossed with Cobian logo, is stitched to the footbed.
The stitching chafes the arch of the foot with every step.
So much so that I was forced to stop frequently mid-stride and take off the shoe, sure that something had lodged itself there.
The second issue is our old nemesis toe curl.
Being bulky and a little heavy the loose strap forces the toes to hang onto the flip flop with each step to keep them on.
On a positive note, the traction works well on all standard surfaces in both wet and dry conditions, but the toe curl does wear you out.
Overall these are ok flip flops. It’s just too bad that the coolness of the Movember moustache is almost entirely negated by the Cobian styling and loose fit.
But, it’s all for a good cause and it isn’t too late to contribute to Movember. Click HERE now to make your donation and help in the fight against prostate cancer and uncool moustaches – for tomorrow we shave.
