Asoul patch, also known as amouche,[1] is a small patch offacial hair between the lower lip and the chin.
Soul patches have been fashionable in Europe at various times in the past, for instance in 17th-century Holland. An example from about 1625 can be seen in thePortrait of a Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat by Frans Hals. TheMerriam-Webster online dictionary dates the earliest known use of the term "soul patch" itself as 1986.[2]
Soul patches came to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, as astyle of facial hair common among African-American men, most notablyjazz musicians.Frank Zappa is a well-known artist who sported one from the early 1960s on. It became popular withbeatniks, artists, and those who frequented the jazz scene and moved in literary and artistic circles. Jazzflutists who disliked the feel of the flute mouthpiece on a freshly shaven lower lip could use a soul patch.[citation needed] On the other hand, jazz trumpeters preferred thegoatee for the comfort it provided when using a trumpetmouthpiece.[3]
The soul patch was revived in the early 1990s, partly helped byLuke Perry'sBuffy the Vampire Slayer character,Oliver Pike, who wore one. Some prominent athletes adopted soul patches, such asMike Piazza andApolo Ohno.[4] The facial hairstyle also rose to prominence in themall goth andnu-metal scenes around the late 1990s to early 2000s.
