The Fashion of Whiskers in Victorian England Essay -- Victorian Era Fa

Whiskers: A Growing Fashion Prior to the Victorian era, men in England maintained cleanly shaven faces. With the mid-eighteen hundreds came a widespread shift toward facial hair in a multitude of styles (Camellia). The ability to grow whiskers began to be regarded as a sign of manhood. In pictures and photographs from the era, it is rare to find a male, past the age of manhood, depicted without facial hair in some capacity. As the century continued, the preferred style of facial hair grew progressively longer, bushier, and more pronounced (Nunn), but it remained â€Å"stylish for men to wear facial hair of all sizes and descriptions† (Camellia). Whiskers of all types adorned the faces of Victorian men, from thin side-whiskers to full, bushy beards in accompaniment with thick mustaches. During the nineteenth century, side-whiskers, beginning as short sideburns, were â€Å"allowed to grow further down the face† (Nunn) and developed into a variety of styles. Mutton-chops, â€Å"side whiskers that are narrow at the temple, broad along the lower cheek or jawline, and separated by a shaven chi...