I Mustache This Question

[deckardcanine]

For most of my adulthood, I’ve been quirkily aware
That modern U.S. presidents have had no facial hair
In longer than a century, since William Howard Taft,
Except when Harry Truman had it briefly (and he laughed).
How odd that nearly all the ones from Lincoln up to then
Had sported some, yet now it seems they never will again.
It’s not like every decade since has ostracized the beard
And mustache in America, so why’ve they disappeared
From presidents? I took some time, and now I have a theory:
When women gained the right to vote, the candidates got leery.
Perhaps an uber-masculine appearance would reduce
How well the voters thought they could relate. It sounds obtuse,
But many other shallow traits, like height, can factor in
Consid’rably to likelihood a candidate will win.
In favor of this theory, I recall that Taft was last
Before the women’s voting right amendment duly passed.