ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on Turkish men's facial hair practices and fashions as well as the Islamic rules related to moustaches and beards. It examines men's facial hair in the religious and socio-political context of Turkey and meanings associated with specific types of facial hair. The chapter investigates the politicization of particular types of facial hair during the left and right political polarization in the 1970s. Men's facial hair can indicate different meanings, such as nationalism, manliness and ideological stance, in different cultures. Facial hair can signify either elite or lower social status. In Turkey, traditionally, facial hair, particularly wearing a moustache, is not solely a religious practice or specific to religious men. The Alevi moustache is a bushy one that covers upper lip and extends along the sides of the mouth. During the Justice and Development Party (AKP) rule, Islamic identities, such as women with the veil and men with well-trimmed moustache, have become increasingly visible in the secular sphere.
