The Pittsburgh Press (September 4, 1944)
Ferguson: Governor Dewey’s mustache
By Mrs. Walter Ferguson
Governor Dewey’s mustache may mark the beginning of a masculine renaissance. With the ladies it is not yet popular and he may even lose a few votes because of it. But it must be admitted that he shows courage in an era of beardless males.
Our tastes have been formed by the movies and have grown more effeminate with the years. The glamor boys stick to glamor girl patterns, and vie with the heroines in the matter of graceful contours, clean faces and marcelled hair. Although their behavior invariably is gallant and dashing, their appearance is on the softie side.
Sober reflection makes on believe that modern man may soon be forced to take up whiskers in order to preserve his ego. There’s precious little left for him. The ladies have appropriated his haircut, his pants, his liquor and tobacco, his athletics, his job and even his war. Man will have to think up something that will set him apart – and what is left except the mustache?
A few intellectuals such as Christopher Morley and Ernest Hemingway have recently sprouted full beards. At first, we put it down to literary eccentricity, but it could very well be rebellion against feminine aggression. For the first time in our history, the United States has a preponderance of females; if that condition continues, the poor men will be hard put to maintain their pose of dominance without some sharp deviation from present modes.
Mr. Dewey may deserve the title of “the New Man.”