Bias is everywhere, and the deep discrimination against the Mustached American race in the United States has been pervasive since the 1960s.

Acceptance of lip sweaters has ebbed and flowed, but the mustache’s glory years, of course, were the 1970s, when a man or woman could wear a mustache without scorn. Virtually overnight, as disco faded and Walter Cronkite left television, the cookie duster became a fad seen only on law enforcement, moto-cross drivers, and members of the Village People.

Enter the St. Louis-based American Mustache Institute (AMI), with headquarters nestled in the shadow of the world's largest mustache - the Gateway Arch. We are freedom fighters, civil libertarians if you will – working against the bias and stereotyping plaguing the Mustached American race.

AMI promotes the growth, care, and culture of the mustache, and works to create a climate of acceptance, understanding, flavor saving, and upper lip warmth for all Mustached Americans alike. Read more about our history here.