Obviously the cosmos has a sense of humor, just mentally picture the platypus and you have life summed up in a nutshell. Now we need to add another dimension to the humor and sexual combination, age. Not everyone can be a playboy bunny or male underwear model in their twenties but we all seem to be having sex anyway, are our social norms getting way too out of control? It seems to be very beneficial to use humor to open discussions on subjects so why not look at the most accepted form of sensitive topic expression in our culture, what does our comedic movie selections show us about ourselves?

Plenty, there are  a few movies that come to mind; The Full Monty, Meet the Fockers, RED, Something’s Gotta Give, As Good As It Gets, and, Calendar Girls. Not to mention the mid-life crisis shows like; Menopause, the Musical and Mid-Life, the Crisis Musical. We are living longer than ever before and our comedy, our romance, our very lives will have to reflect the transition with the grace and style that our humorous sides can muster. The image of sex will have to adapt or else our later years will forever be considered dull in comparison. Not everyone will be in their twenties or thirties when they have sex, forties and beyond are gaining momentum so unless you intend to have a blindfold on and earplugs in during sexual encounters when mid-life hits, learn how to laugh at yourself and find a way to bring laughter into the bedroom.

Dullness is a topic that has no merit; as we age our ability to juggle more and more, and the intricacies of our relations, interactions and environments become more dynamic. Therefore, to celebrate every gray hair, to feel comfort in knowing that your face and body doesn’t necessarily have to be wrinkle-free or scar-free, to be able to find the magic in the imperfections of the moments instead of waiting for the perfect time and event to come along are all signs of aging gracefully. Don’t just find the beauty in what we have been told is the exclusive form of beauty; don’t buy into a single body type or age for intimate interactions. Women are average size 14, being 5’4” weigh about 163lbs. Men average 36 pant size being about 5’9” and weigh about 190 lbs. What does this mean? If you think you will ever have an intimate relationship you might want to look beyond the model size and age for something closer to home and more accessible. If you ever just want to be happy you might want to loosen up on the perfectionism and go for a real person who might make you laugh. Average ages throughout the world vary; the US-77 to 80, Europe between 77 to over 80 (these numbers may vary depending on where you get your stats). Life would be very constraining if it were expected that our mid-life to elderly were to stop being intimate past a certain age, don’t really see such a policy to be enforced or adhered to.  

Okay, all the teenagers can take their hands off their eyes now and all the twenty-somethings can unplug their ears…

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One of the earliest, popular moustached faces in television is that of Groucho Marx, the American comedian and film star. He was born in 1890 and died at the ripe old age of eighty-seven in 1977. At the start of his career, he used grease paint to paint on his outrageously large moustache and eyebrows. However, he soon grew his own – which he wore for the rest of his life. Groucho, in his heyday, was one of the most recognisable celebrities of his time.

Laurel and Hardy

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Stan Laurel – the thin one – was British born. He changed his name from Stanley Jefferson when he moved to America at twenty-two, because he was concerned that his name was too long and fussy for the American show business arena. Oliver Hardy – the bigger one – was American. He was born Norvell Hardy, but also changed his name when he was eighteen years old. They rose to fame on the American TV scene, and were famous around the 1920s – 30s, working mainly in motion pictures and on stage. They managed to appear together in a staggering 106 films. Now how’s that for a partnership! Laurel sported a toothbrush type moustache, the same style as Hitler and Mugabe, but along with his partner, he has provided the world with belly laughs and an impressive amount of slapstick comedy.

Clark Gable

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Another instantly recognizable moustached heart-throb was Clarke Gable. His smooth performance in Gone With the Wind, got him nominated for ‘Best Actor.’ Gable had a hiccoughing start to his life, not only was he registered as a girl on his birth certificate, but his voice was very high and terribly whiny. After much training and make-overs, Clark Gable became what is now known as an A list film star. He worked as a Stage actor between 1924-1930, during which time, he appeared as an extra in many motion pictures. After he made it big-time, his moustache made him probably the most recognizable actor of his time. After all, he played the leading man for most of his film acting life.

Adolf Hitler

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Adolf Hitler was born of parents who were blood-relations to each other, and was the fourth of six children. However, only two of his parents’ children reached adulthood – Adolf and a younger sister. He failed his first year in high school, and had to be put back a grade. During his young years, after twice being refused entry into an art school, he sold his paintings in the street to tourists. Money soon ran out and he eventually found himself homeless. Time progressed, and after being deemed unfit to serve in the Austrian army, he signed up with the Bavarian army during WW1.

He later became a German politician, but the Germans will always rightly point out that he was actually born in Austria. After a year of joining up, he became the leader of what is now known as the Nazi Party, and ruled Germany from 1933-1945. Unfortunately, everyone knows what happened next. This type of moustache would have probably been more widely used, were it not for the fact that this was the man who made it famous.

Mahatma Gandhi

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I included this second picture because it proves that Ghandi had a moustache ever since he was a little boy (but I jest).

His real name was Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi. He was a well-known political and spiritual leader of India. He has since become one of the icons representing non-violent demonstrations and civil rights freedom for downtrodden people all over the world. Mahatma (‘Great Soul’ in Sanskrit) gave up his job as a lawyer in South Africa in 1915, and returned to India to fight the cause of his people living in poverty. He has done so much for the world and the way in which we view our freedom. I think that his round glasses and moustache come together in a way that makes him one of the easiest identifiable men in history.

Frank Zappa

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Zappa was born in 1940 and is of Greek/Arab/Italian decent. He started composing music when he was still at high school.

Zappa was everything and anything. His artistic career over thirty years, saw him as a record producer, guitar player, film director, song writer and solo artist. He had a keen interest in politics and became very active in world affairs during the latter part of his life. He spent all of his music career wearing his trademark bushy moustache with a little goatee under his bottom lip.

All these men made an impact creatively, politically, or socially. I am tempted to think that if it wasn’t for the moustaches, they would be ordinary looking men who would not be so readily identifiable. What do you think?

Part two is now available here

You may also be interested in this Only Real Men Can Grow Facial Hair

There is a quotation from Groucho Marx that I really like. It goes something like this: “I must say I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book.”

Couch slobs

What is in television that is so interesting, popular and widespread? With television you don’t need to think about anything, especially about everyday things and problems. That’s what makes television so attractive to most people. When you come home from work (if you have it) the last thing you want to do is think about meaning of life. It is easier to sit in your couch, take the remote in your hand and start switching channels. It makes you feel like you have control of your life, isn’t it? But it’s just opposite.

25 hours

People in the United States really like to have control over their lives. They have control on average of 25 hours per week. Let’s do some math: 25 times 4 equals 100 hours per month, which makes 1200 hours a year. And that’s 50 days per year! One year have 365 days, do you really want to spend 50 of 365 days watching television? Quite frankly, watching television is waste of time. We can spend those 50 days more productively: we can practice some music instrument, be so good at, start a band and make a lot of money! Or we can learn a foreign language: if you spend television time on learning foreign languages, just imagine how many languages you can learn! Or, you can read a good book. (By the way, literacy in US is not 100%, but guess what, it is in Cuba). Choice is yours.