see also: Facial Styles Sideburns are the two lines of hair that come down on either side of your face, in front of your ears. They can be full (also known as Mutton Chops) or trimmed, thick or thin, long or short. They're named after Union General Ambrose Burnside, a Civil War veteran and later a senator in Rhode Island. He wore his sideburns extremely bushy, and attached them to a moustache with a well-shaved chin. Like many facial-hair styles, sideburns have taken on numerous, often competing cultural associations and they tend to fall in and out fashion very quickly.