the Trademark: My Mustache
Not to boast, but as it is a general knowledge to know who I am, most if not all educated people have seen a photo of me at least once. And one of the ways people recognize me most easily, in addition to my facial features- is my thin but prominent mustache. You might ask, how did I establish this kind of look for myself? Well, it hasn't always been that way- not since I had started to grow facial hair at least. I never liked the concept of a beard- just think how I would look on me... Hard to imagine, right?
At the end of the 1920s or beginning of the 1930s, I grew a "Menjou beardlet", which was popular at that time – and called it "the smallest mustache of the world". I kept this kind of mustache until the end of the 1930s.

This kind of mustache got it's name from
the actor, Adolphe Menjou.
Me with the mustache, still not in it's final phase.
There was also a book made in collaboration with me and Philippe Halsman. My dear friend, explained the concept of the jointly produced book Dalí's Mustache as follows: "In 1954, the growth of Dali's mustache miraculously increased. When the painter returned to New York I was amazed: the points of his mustache were higher than his eyebrows. I saw my duty and started to photograph the play and interplay of his mustache. I needed Dalí's consent and I approached the great surrealist cautiously: 'Books have been written about you and about other painters. But there is no book about a part of their personality, as, for instance, Rembrandt's nose or Picasso's foot. What a tribute to your genius, Dalí! A book to appear - dedicated not to the whole but only to a small part of you!".
All these examples work to prove how unforgettable this mustache is. It will undoubtedly be my trademark for as long as we can see...
It is even present in my most iconic photo!
At the end of the 1920s or beginning of the 1930s, I grew a "Menjou beardlet", which was popular at that time – and called it "the smallest mustache of the world". I kept this kind of mustache until the end of the 1930s.

This kind of mustache got it's name from
the actor, Adolphe Menjou.
Me with the mustache, still not in it's final phase.
I went out quite often, and my distinctive mustache became a sort of "gimmick" and my unofficial trademark with high recognition. In the 1950s, the mustache became an iconic part of me and the transformation into my final public appearance was nearly complete. I started in the United States to grow longer tips of the mustache, until they stood out like antennae in the 1950s and had reached a total length of 25 centimeters.
Feels droopy.
Feels droopy.
During a fundraising campaign in which a poll was conducted to identify "the best-known mustache of all time". 14,144 votes were cast and most voted for my mustache- earning 1st place! Even that is enough to show how memorable it is.
Can you see who it is? I sure can.
Can you see who it is? I sure can.
In the literature and articles, to explain me and the mustache, many descriptions have been made:
The mustache is "a major part of his uniform as an eccentric artist", a "strange hallmark", "Dalí's most recognizable trait", "exaggerated [...] feature of his post-1940 identity", a pop icon with "phallic overtones", a "gravity-defying", "heavily waxed and flexible work of art... and so on. Truly flattering. Even Gertrude Stein, who knew me personally and admired me, thought of it to be the "most beautiful mustache of any European".
Isn't it beautiful?
The mustache is "a major part of his uniform as an eccentric artist", a "strange hallmark", "Dalí's most recognizable trait", "exaggerated [...] feature of his post-1940 identity", a pop icon with "phallic overtones", a "gravity-defying", "heavily waxed and flexible work of art... and so on. Truly flattering. Even Gertrude Stein, who knew me personally and admired me, thought of it to be the "most beautiful mustache of any European".
Isn't it beautiful?
The cover.
Of course, if you would like to model your facial hair like mine, it is not too hard. Some patience, wax (or hair gel) and courage will suffice. Here is a simple tutorial!
Waxin'
All these examples work to prove how unforgettable this mustache is. It will undoubtedly be my trademark for as long as we can see...
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
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