Beard Styles

Why has the mustache, a simple yet powerful style of facial hair, been so neglected and brutalized? The mustache used to be a strong symbol of manhood and independence, but now it is merely laughed at and too often the punchline for 70's jokes. It's so sad to see a once strong and proud style become such an outcast.
My mind is perplexed and I'm given to a smattering of emotions. Anger, frustration, sadness, bitterness, despair all churn within as cement in a mixer. In the whole realm of beard and mustache styles why has the simple stache been so abused? The look has been used wrongly in many situations by people who were too young or too foolish but that's not an excuse to abandon it altogether.
Maybe it's because the mustache is one of the few, if not the only, beard style that can be worn by both sexes ('tis sad when it's not recognized and waxed off by a woman...unless she's over 55, then it's okay)? Is it the staches fault that some women are a little brutish and too stubborn or not wise enough to remove it?

Whatever the reason is I guarantee that it's not a good one. The mustache is a wonderful style that when worn properly is truly a thing of beauty. People like Tom Selleck (who I'll discuss more in the Men Beard Styles section) have bravely and masterfully worn the mustache, and our world is better for it. We need more men to take their turn at the plate and do some good for the Mighty Mustache.