Why Did Men Stop Wearing Sideburns?

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00:00 Sideburns: Introduction

Facial hair is enjoying something of a revival in contemporary menswear. While cleanly shaven is still the default choice for many men, just as many are now opting for beards and/or mustaches.

With that being said, the contemporary facial hair en vogue is not quite as voluptuous as you might’ve seen during the Victorian or Edwardian Eras. This then raises the question as to why we’ve seen such a severe shift away from sideburns.

01:54 What Are Sideburns?

Also referred to as “sideboards” and “side whiskers”. Sideburns are a type of facial hair that is grown from the sides of the face. There are a variety of styles that can range in how bold they come across.

03:13 The History of Sideburns

It’s impossible to precisely track down when sideburns first became a prominent facial hair style. But it’s safe to say they’ve existed since the beginning of recorded history. However, the facial hair style didn’t reach its peak popularity in Western culture until around the mid-19th century.

08:36 Why Men Stopped: 1. Declining Popularity of Facial Hair Generally
09:34 2. Declining Popularity of Long Hair
11:18 3. They May Simply Have Been a Trend that Fizzled Out
12:53 4. Cultural Associations
15:17 5. Difficult Maintenance
16:48 6. Styling Confusion

We believe men should be able to express their facial hair however they like. There’s a place for each person’s unique preferences on how they style their facial hair.

18:04 Making Sideburns Work with Classic Style

If you’re just looking for a more contemporary sideburn style that is elegant & gives you a subtle way to stand out, that’s also perfectly acceptable. In a contemporary setting, we’d say the safest option is to opt for sideburns that end between halfway down and slightly past, your ears.

19:14 Conclusion

Sideburns are a facial hairstyle that often gets a bad rap in contemporary menswear. However, we think there’s still plenty of opportunity to incorporate sideburns into your own personal style.

20:04 Outfit Rundown

#sideburns #facialhair #notsponsored

[stastic]

*Sideburn* *squad* *has* *entered* *the* *chat*
Rocked sideburns for close to 10 years and no intent on stopping anytime soon

[Zailen]

I miss Gentlemans Gazette. About 2 years ago I finally started to build up my vintage (1920's-1930's era) wardrobe. This was the FIRST time in my life I genuinely got excited about clothing. As someone who is slightly on the autism scale, I am HUGE on patterns and texture, and the textiles of the era were so stimulating in that way. I loved the clean lines, the chizled shape. How put together I looked. Both fortunately, and unfortunately I just got a new job. FULL time after years of grinding for it, which will help me take care of my family better! But it's in a kitchen, so I'll have to say goodbye to the vintage clothing while I'm at work. It's for the greater good, but I'll definitely miss those suits and sweaters.

[thewanderer]

I rocked mutton chops for a couple of years before I grew in a full beard, mutton chops are an amazing in between clean shaven and bearded. Everyone seemed to like them as they were so different to the full beard trend at the time. Great video as per usual!

[craft-o-matic]

I enjoy seeing men sporting sideburns! I always have. My Dad was a clean shaven man. I always wanted him to grow sideburns. One year, for Christmas, with the assistance of my Mom, I fashioned a set of sideburns for my Dad as a Christmas gift!
Seriously, I enjoyed the sideburns men wore in the 70's. Well manicured of course!
Lisa

[n.b.]

I like sideburns, some of us can't grow good beards. It's like a clean man's beard. I tried to grow out my sideburns a couple years ago and they laughed at me calling me wolverine. I have a picture of my father from the 70s and he had magnificent sideburns.

[LatimusChadimus]

Is this why we haven't seen Preston in a while? He had to grow out his sideburns? I would give him a bonus check for such discipline

[paulpaduraru]

I had sideburns and I loved them. I had them when I was 15 until now (18), I had to shave them because I join the army. In 3 years I rocked them like Elvis did in 50's, 68' and 70's.

[Michael_R]

One reason men in the 19th Century wore a lot of facial is because shaving then was rightly considered dangerous. ( if you cut yourself with the straight razor of that day it would often get infected and many men died. This left families without breadwinners.) The situation didn’t change until King Gillette popularized the safety razor. Another great video by Preston.

[DIDDLOTIC]

I rock sideburns that line up down to the bottom of my ears and a stache. I like the look. It works for some and doesnt for others.

[Molach]

I had a moustache and large sideburns as a teenager (15-17) before I grew a beard. They came down well past my ears, onto my cheeks.

[spaghettiking]

The wigs and the Victorian facial hair screamed individualism. I loved that there were so many styles; none look the same. I encourage people to embrace their uniqueness, not hide it.

[darren]

I've had sideburns since I was in my very early twenties - I love 'em

[evanhall]

Hello fellow gentlemen. I love the work you guys do but I have to inquire about a particular situation.
I found a vintage a Brooks Brothers 346 line suit. It’s a three piece wool suit and the tag in the right inner pocket says 1907, but I just watched the video you guys did on menswear in the 1930s and it says zippers where starting to become more popular around that time. I can send you guys pictures or tell you more about it, but you guys seem like the folks to come to to help me get an answer of how old this suit is. I love you guys do keep up the good work

[Vikmanius]

I didn´t realize I was wearing sideburns until this video

[lucrio]

Hello to everyone at the Gentleman’s Gazette team! I was wondering if, after your hot/summer weather video, you’d perhaps cover how to stay stylish in humid weather as well. Where I live it gets hot in the summer but it’s always with a high humidity which makes layering with sports coats or vests very uncomfortable.

[renaissancesage]

OK the mutton chops….. absolutely hilarious. Well done and a good sport!!!! Thumbs up.

On an unrelated note, I’m 65 and live in Florida and I’ve always worn a classic suit. Now that I am sadly no longer wearing a suit, I’m not sure what is stylish. I generally fall back on Lands’ End plaid shirts and khakis. Basically the senior prep look. So could you do a program on dressing up the older person. Or how to dress up grandpa. Appreciate the work you guys do. Be safe.

[svt]

Excellent analysis and great presentation!

[Vivelabretagnelibre]

been wearing sideburns most of my life, as a tribute to Elvis & Johnny Hallyday, they give me more "power" & confidence ! never been criticized for that !

[godstemplar]

Reason #1. Women don’t like big sideburns.
Reason #2 For me my left sided sideburn grows in weird due to the fact that I sleep on that side. My right sideburn is perfect.
I wear a goatee due to this.

[timeminecraft]

In recent years I’ve acquired side burns as our town does an annual Elvis celebration and it’s been easier to just keep them through the years. But they only go to the end of my ear and aren’t mutton chops