Let's Talk About Your Stylish 'Stache

Put down those razor blades and hop on the bandwagon, guys. It’s time for Movember, also known as No-Shave November. What many participants don’t know is that Movember and No-Shave-November are actually two separate organizations. Both entities, however, feed into the widely popular annual trend of men growing out their mustaches, beards, and some women foregoing shaving their legs.

 Founded in 2003 by two Australian friends, The Movember Foundation has made efforts through this annual campaign to raise awareness and spark conversation around men’s health issues including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, poor mental health, and physical inactivity. More recently, No-Shave November has established as its own organization that aims to grow cancer awareness more broadly and also raise funds to support cancer research, prevention, and education.

 Centered on what has become a social trend of putting away those razor blades, there is no arguing that both initiatives have positive goals and have been successful in raising money for the cause.

That said, how many young men and women who follow what has become an annual tradition actually spread awareness, spark conversations, and contribute to this cause? It has become a competition worldwide, mostly among men, to see who can outgrow who during the month of November. Much like breast cancer awareness means donning pink ribbons and buying into pink consumer products, it doesn’t help that the no-shave campaigns themselves are perpetuating a gender stereotype of the “manliest man”.

In our social media oriented lives, the intent of such campaigns gets lost to the bandwagon effect. As UWeekly states, “The original message and intent is lost when people begin posting pictures simply to join in, not to promote awareness about the cause. In actuality, the true rationale behind events such as Movember is not common knowledge, which is the root of the problem itself.” 

According to The Movember Foundation, 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives and testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men 25-49 years old. Poor mental health awareness and support is also a key foundation for the Movember movement, with 3 out of 4 deaths by suicide being men. These issues, along with obesity and physical inactivity, are often disregarded and not talked about because they are associated with a stigma of weakness among men.

So let’s all make an effort to ask questions and create open conversations regarding men’s health issues this month, especially to those donning fluffy beards and funky  mo’s. The month of November should be for men's health issues what October is for Breast Cancer Awareness. Yes, there are pink ribbons left and right but there are also countless events worldwide including 5ks, fundraising events, and much more surrounding the cause. Bloomberg Business has referred to this as the gender gap  in cancer due to the lack of year-round events leading up to Movember.

Hopefully the scale will tilt away from the bandwagon appeal and more towards educated awareness raising and open conversation regarding men’s health issues. Rather than joining the trend, let’s continue this month of hairiness as a more educated generation to create real support and raise funds for research and events surrounding the cause.

Check out movember.com and no-shave.org to learn more about the issues behind the increase of beards & mo’s this month. For you mustache growing fellas out there, check out the guide below—and let's talk to each other about the issues behind your stylish 'stache.

(Photo: Movember.com)