Mustache of the Ambassador: not a Beard is a political Statement

A Beard is rarely a non-political matter. Fully and carefully sorted, can he tell about its wearer: I'm a Hipster and I have in my life time, to deal with the care of my Gesichtshaars. The indecisive 20-day variant, which is seen these days are still often in the Zoom conferences to, on the other hand says: I have the privilege to be able to work from home, and I am now no matter how I look.

Maria Wiesner

editor in the Department of society FAZ.NET.

In South Korea made since January is a completely different Variation of the facial hair headlines: The mustache of the American Ambassador Harry Harris was caught up in the social media under fire. He remind you too much of the beard fashion of the Japanese colonial rulers, annexed from 1910 to 1945 the Korean Peninsula. What, so the allegation that Harris was not surprising – after all, the Ambassador had Japanese roots. This is not commented on Harris, in turn, in an Interview with the Korea Times: "I'm the Japanese-American Ambassador in Korea, but the American. That to me history is alone charged due to the coincidence of my birth, I think, is a mistake.“

democratic and extremist beards

like Harris, in his time as an American Navy Admiral, a Position he had held prior to the commencement of his Embassy post in the year 2018, not with hairstyle and complications have been busy, but he should know that a Beard can convey a political message. In Europe, he's doing this at least since the 19th century. Century, when the beard form of democracy, or Imperial loyalty displayed. In some Central Asian countries, with full beards are still seen today as a sign of religious extremism. And in South Korea's Northern neighbouring state, there should be even a list of officially permitted hair cut.

the tempers in South Korea about Harris’ Beard so strongly heated – at a rally, protesters tore down even his likeness is symbolic of the Beard may be explained, however, less with the facial hair of the Ambassador than by the policy of Donald trump's, which he represents. So Harris brought about last November to the then Chairman of the intelligence Committee of the South Korean Parliament on several occasions Trumps the claim that Seoul should increase the financial contribution to the support of the American troops in South Korea dramatically. The battle of the mustache is here, too, a dispute about the political influence.

the Tweet of the us Embassy arrived in Seoul last weekend, quite surprisingly, in the Harris of a video team accompany, as he makes his mustache shaved off. The justification for the sudden change in diplomatic is: "It is so humid and hot in Seoul, and under the mask I'm sweating with the Beard even more." To the Corona-protection measures are to be observed, have need to soft the Beard so. To be clean-shaven on-the-go, these days, is a political Statement.