World Beard and Moustache Competition held in Portland
Three hundred contestants participated in a facial hair competition this weekend in Portland, Oregon — shaming all those who don't take facial hair growth seriously.
Yes, 18 different categories of facial hair were paraded in front of six judges at the World Beard & Moustache Championships.
The contestants were diverse, representing nine foreign countries, the Virgin Islands, and 29 U.S. states.
The winners weren't just those with the biggest and most coifed facial hair. Judges were also looking for contestants whose facial hair "best enhances their overall appearance, style, and personality."
Competitors were able to enter their beards and moustaches in the categories that match their facial hair growth. For the moustache, the categories were natural, English, Dali, imperial (which means small and bushy with tips arching up), Hungarian, and freestyle.
In the full beard category, contestant's dressed as Gandalf, a monk, and a farmer. For the full beard, the categories included natural, styled mustache, Verdi, and Garibaldi (which means the length of the beard does not exceed 20 centimeters and a moustache is integrated).
The overall winner of the competition was Madison Rowley, who sported a bushy beard with flowers.
However, the oddest thing about the competition might be the controversy over its existence.
The other World Beard and Moustache Competition, based in Germany, had called for a boycott, saying the Portland contest has no authority to award these titles and is taking away from the validity of the original competition.
"[This competition] shares nothing of the history or integrity of the name it inaccurately boasts," the group, known as We Support the True WBMC, wrote in an email. "Those event organizers do NOT have the authority to award any World Beard and Moustache Championship titles, nor do they have the authority to reassign these titles.
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The competition between the organizations is as tense as the competition among the beards. Regardless, the situation is hairy.
