Diary of a Moustache

Thank you, chowk, for publishing my naive attempt at writing. And thanks to all the readers who appreciated and responded to this autobiographical tidbit :).

shandana: Thanks for the kind words and welcome.

Judging from the fact that I fall a bit short of being a female gorilla, waxing in general would be deadly for me. So I stick to the basic razor :)

By the way, I love your writing. I just read your piece about doctors in The Friday Times. Most MD`s are the same in the US as well.

veerish: I can grow a moustache on a second`s notice in case it becomes a major feminist movement. Nothing to worry about there.

temporal: Thanks :). Hey it`s not threading, it`s waxing and it will lead me to a better life, worry free.

Sheheryar: Speaking of male breasts, is there something you are hiding from us. Come on, divulge :). Just kidding. Thanks for the kind words.

Kabuli: Forget shaving. Why don`t you sport the ``George Michael look.`` Or you could just pretend to be some lovesick Devdas :). A poetic soul.

anarchistan: Did you know Donnie Walberg was the

guy who killed Bruce Willis in ``The Sixth Sense.``

He`s not dead after all.

futema: Thank you! I agree with you totally.

People made me notice and detest my moustache, it didn`t really bother me until they did.

taimurmalik: Thank you thank you, you are too kind, really toooo kind :)

subuhi: I`m glad you can relate to me in that sense. But I wouldn`t start waxing my daughters so early. It`s too painful for young children.

I`d let them decide for themselves when they are in their teens. Thanks for the appreciation.

ali: I think burkha`s are kind of romantic. I wish I lived in Lucknow in the 1800`s with a lover who`d give his right hand to catch a glimpse of my ``chandsa mooch wala mukhra.``

sadaf: We decide what`s important to us in regards to our appearance. It is affected by society, but the decision is ours. Good luck with the hair removal battle :)

Lubna: Right on. We should make a Hairy Women`s Association ;) Just think of all the things we could accomplish.

hamidm: No NOOOO I`m not a Punjabi film heroine.

I`m only 5`2, and of medium build, and I cannot shake my tush for the camera.

sarwari/aisha: I read ``The Bluest Eye`` a long time ago. It was a good book although I liked Morrison`s ``Beloved`` much more. Unfortunately the world is not perfect and we are affected by societal standards of female beauty. But I don`t believe that getting rid of a damn moustache is a big deal. And I`m sure having a moustache doesn`t marr a woman in the eyes of the world. For me, it was just an uncomfortable situation and I`m more confident now. Small price to pay :)

Solitude: Flattery or sarcasm? I can`t decide :)

I`m from New York.

musafir: Thank you thank you. :) I thought that something had to be written about female moustaches, thus I did. Otherwise it`s a taboo topic, especially amongst males, by females.

SORRY ABOUT THE LONG RESPONSE :}

Dear Almira,

You have expressed your fear in a very beautiful, postive manner.I `m glad that you are out of it after going through all those horrible procedures and nightmares. And, you are right that the way we look dictates our attitude towards life and happiness.(by the way looks could kill).One should do his/her best to be always positive and confident.

Thank you for sharing your personal

experience. Keep it up and hope to read more articles by you.

Cheerio bye!

awww ... you made my heart melt with that story ... where are you - you beautifully exquisite girl ?

Almira:

Salams. I really really enjoyed reading the article. It`s very well written. I do agree with you in that, if something is an obstacle to the way you percieve yourself, it must be removed. Although it`s a pity to know how propotional one`s need for ones own ``prefection`` is to the idea society defines as perfect.

``obstacles are those wiered things we see when we take our eyes off the goal``

I think once we begin to realize what beauty means and how appearances can be fake, and once we focus on creating beauty rather than displaying it, we begin to feel beautiful and that really reflects our inner beauty to the rest of the world.



My classmates told me, ``those who say beauty lies within are just trying to cover up their own ugliness`` :)

I know someone who has a dark upper lip that makes her look like she has a slight mustache. Yet something about her makes you know she is intelligence, and confidence mixed and brewed for ages. All the rest of the ``pretty`` (fair) girls looked like a pale shadow in front of her.

I was always conscious about the way I looked, and my perception totally changed. Phenotypic, instant recognition is what primates do, lets evolve! For a real change in the way we judge by looks, Read Tony Morrison’s book, “The Bluest Eye”.

``The Bluest Eye illustrates the possible consequences of entirely depending on external conditions for self-image, for in attempting to satisfy a paradigm that differs so radically from reality, African-Americans may destroy their essential nature. And in denying their natural gifts (or, as Morrison calls it, their ``funkiness``) in order to placate white expectations, African-Americans accelerate their self-destruction.``--Review by Karen Carmean, 1993

Once again, it was a great read!

Wassalam,

-Aisha

whats `sugaring`?

.....oye, muchh nain te kuch nain ..... anyone remember Naghma, Firdous, Zammurad and Aasia .... buxom belles who were the were the darlings of Punjabi fim fans .... moustache and all ........ beauty lies in the eye of the - at least that`s what National Geographic would have us believe ..... a bone through the nose ? Anyone ?

Thorougly enjoyed the article. You`ve touched a topic I`ve been thinking about lately. :) And not just moustaches, but all types of unwanted hair and the ways we torture ourselves to get rid of them. Electrolysis, shaving, waxing, sugaring, threading, bleaching, plucking, tweezing, creaming.. need i say more? Appearences do matter, but who decides whats attractive and whats not?

Anyway, hope to hear more from you.

Almira,

He he, loved it, loved it....... so funny and so true! Another seldom discussed battle we fight

(and win!) on a regular basis. I`m so happy for you and your new-found self esteem! :) Reminds

me of the pride I felt in my victory when I first got rid of my moustache years back.

And NOW I understand why I used to hide behind books and dread facing people as an

adolescent - it was the moonch!!!

- lk

Did you consider the shuttlecock burqa?

I really enjoyed this - who can forget the first time you see yourself without a moustache? It`s a moment filled with guilt (what will mom think?) and absolute delight (oh my god! so that`s what i look like under that!). My own moment happened at a girlfriend`s house in KDA, where her mom ran a beauty salon. We were both 12, and i was always envious of how my friend was so perfectly turned out compared to my own hairy, bespectactled looks. I just didn`t expect it to be as painful as it was - afterwards, i looked at myself in the salon mirror, a little girl with wet cheeks and a pink upper lip, and decided, much like you did, that it was worth it.

Incidentally, my mom didn`t freak out. Which brings me to my next point - i have decided, quite firmly, that when i have daughters i will take them to be waxed and threaded from the time they are a few months old. I`ve heard the Chinese do it, and dammit, don`t we deserve as much (or as little) as the Chinese?

great article..a bold one that too..

nice choice for a first on chowk..

you have succeeded in identifying yourself as a daring person..welcome welcome....

regards,

Taimur.

awwww, shooo shweet. best part about the story was the johnny nash song. didn`t donnie wahlberg, late of the new kids on the block, once say he loved chicks with big hairy moustaches?

the truly definititve question of our times, courtesy of slink:

``how do you feel about waxing in general?``

Almira, have you heard the golden rule for guys?... Never ever ever comment on a girl`s facial hair. I was told this by a guy.

I enjoyed your piece. And I agree with you that appearances do matter. If your appearance is affecting your self-esteem, then you should make a change if you can. However, don`t you think that we are overly concerned with appearance since society places so much emphasis on it? Your moustache may not have bothered you unless others had not commented or pointed it out. Bottom line in my opinion: we should determine what lengths we want to go to for our desired appearance. You have to be happy with yourself first before others can appreciate you.

And Veeresh...hmmm...I seriously doubt that a moustache on a woman will become a symbol of the feminist movement. As long as men are around, that`s a longshot. :)

All the best!

Almira,

A hilarious piece. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Moustaches ( beards also) sometimes are painful and bothersome for the `darker` sex too. I hate having to rip off the bristles off of my face every week. It is quite painful no matter how fine the razor is. Would you believe me if I said I too considered electrolysis for my face? But my pocket and the electrolocist wouldn`t agree.

Kabuli

Almira:

FINALLY A GOOD ARTICLE! Congrats on producing some original thinking and a very amusing (yet true) piece. However, I will add that on the opposite side there are boys with breasts. Pity one cannot wax them off!

Again, really enjoyed it.

Almira:

Welcome to Chowk.

Enjoyed the tribulations.

This `threading` will lead to where?

zmm,

temporal

PS: zmm -- zair-e-moonch-mooskurahat.