The World
BEARD &
MOUSTACHE
CONTEST
jason kiley, age 42,
Viroqua, WisconsinWhat’s your technique?
I’ve learned how to do
all my styling with my
hands. You can’t use
bobby pins or wire or
anything. It has to be
hair spray or wax hold-
ing your beard up.What’s the competition
like? They have a
styling room at the
event, but I always style
in a hotel room and
then catch a cab to the
event because I can’t
safely drive when I
have my beard styled
up. I don’t have any
peripheral vision at
that point.When did you start
thinking of your facial
hair as a competitive
asset? I usually just
braid my beard, but I’d
get compliments on it,
so I found a contest.
It was so much fun, it
was ridiculous. The best
way to describe a beard
contest is as a cross be-
tween a beauty pageant
and a dog show.Your beard is almost
two feet wide and as
curly as a basket of
snakes. How did you
come up with the de-
sign? I paid attention to
what the winning styles
were for other events.
I was being strategic.
I didn’t have a name
for my design, but I get
called Mr. Pretzel a lot.How have the cab driv-
ers reacted? Everything
from pretending there’s
nothing weird happen-
ing to getting selfies.Is it hard to get a
job with a beard that
reaches your belly
button? I’m my own
boss, so the beard fits
into my dress code.The Remington Beard
Boss World Beard
and Moustache
Championships drew
738 contestants from
33 countries to Austin,
Texas, in 2017.14 february 2019 | rd.com Illustration by John Cuneo
Reader’s Digest
I WON!