Opinion: Greve de Bigode

A Portuguese term meaning “mustache strike.”

The Guardian’s Tom Phillips recently reported:

Once they were symbols of power and sophistication. From Hulk Hogan to Adolf Hitler, Albert Einstein to Edward Elgar, the mustache was everywhere. But today, with facial hair in the fashion doldrums, the mustache is taking on a new role in public life – as a vehicle for protest.

For proof, look no further than Brazil, where voters have created the “greve de bigode” or “mustache strike” to register their fury at the country’s latest political scandal. The campaign calls on disgruntled Brazilians to grow mustaches and post their photographs on a blog (tiremobigode.blogspot.com).

The mustaches are a reference to José Sarney, the president of Brazil’s senate, who is currently afflicted by allegations of nepotism and embezzlement, and is famous for the bushy clump of hair that adorns his upper lip. Protesters say that they will only start shaving again when the senate gets rid of its president.

The rules of the protest require men to grow real mustaches; women and children may manufacture their facial hair.

Phillips noted that the mustache has, in recent years, become a popular campaign tool. Since 2004, hundreds of thousands of men have participated in Movember, growing mustaches during “the month formerly known as November” to raise money for men’s health charities. And, in 2007, workers at a Georgia brewery grew mustaches in protest over a delay in the issue of a state brewing license.