November 1 was the official kick off to the month of Movember. For those unaware of the meaning behind this portmanteau, simply substitute the popular abbreviation for moustache “Mo”, with the first two letters of November. Some of you may already be familiar with Movember’s distant November facial hair movement “No-Shave November.” However, there are several distinct differences worth noting which make Movember (aka: Novembeard) a much worthier contender of your attention. On a facial hair spectrum, Movember is exclusively reserved for the moustache. But, ultimately, what lies behind the scenes of Movember are truly altruistic efforts through charity for cancer research and men’s health awareness.
Movember was started in Australia in 1999 as means to raise funds for local animal shelters. This original unshaven union, “Whiskers for Whiskers,” started what has now transformed into a multi-million-dollar fundraising event designed to increase awareness of men’s prostate cancer, depression, and testicular cancer.
Like any effective management strategy, it’s worth noting the ground rules that constitute fair play in this season of ‘staches, or month of the Mo’s:
1. Once registered, each bro must begin the month with a clean-shaven face.
2. For the entire month of Movember each bro must grow and groom a moustache.
3. There is to be no joining of the mo to the sideburns (that is considered a beard)
4. There is to be no joining of the handlebars to your chin (that is considered a goatee)
5. Each bro must conduct himself like a true country gentleman.
The FAQ on the website clarifies that shaving a beard to provide a ready-made moustache is cheating and not in the spirit of Movember. A small growth of hair under the bottom lip (aka a tickler) is permitted as long as it is not connected to any other region.
As if you didn’t need yet another reason to hair up, the official end of Movember is always marked by a celebration for Mo Bros and Mo Sistas at a local party or the national ‘Stache Bash held this year in Chicago (the most moustache-friendly city in the US).
Although Movember is a light-hearted movement, the amount of money raised globally through Movember donations is approximately $175 million, which makes it the largest funder of prostate cancer research in the world. This is a vital statistic considering that 1 in 6 men will get prostate cancer and 1 in 36 will die from the disease (American Cancer Society). Please JOIN or DONATE to our Hogan (aka: MOgan) team in our quest to raise money for cancer research and men’s health awareness!