It’s Movember, Time To Grow A Beard

It’s Movember, time to move away from the razors. So yes, our spell check is working perfectly well.  We are talking about Movember, the movement calling for all men to toss their razors and electric shavers to allow those mustaches to grow.  It isn’t a temporary trend; it is a call for action to draw attention to men’s health topics.  Celebrities are in on this movement as well, including Daniel Craig, Zac Efron, Kellan Lutz, and Sylvester Stallone.

SPELL IT OUT FOR ME!

M-o-v-e-m-b-e-r is an international movement to bring awareness to men’s health issues as well as bring in donations for research to find the causes and cures to problems such as prostate cancer.  It is a call to action for men to let their facial hair grow throughout the month of November in an effort to get the world to talk about and take notice of men’s health.  The Movember Foundation is a private charity raising funds for such research.

WHEN DID IT ALL BEGIN?

The first Movember took place in 2003 when a few Australian guys debated the reason for endangered mustache.  This classic facial hair style had gone almost into obscurity, replaced by the full beard, goatee as well as more intricate styles.  So about thirty men, referring to themselves as the “Mo Bros,” made a pact to save the mustache from extinction by bringing it back into fashion.  The next year, these Mo Bros aimed for a bigger goal, to use their mustache movement to make a positive impact on men’s health.  They created the Movember Foundation, which is the largest donor to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

ABIDING BY THE RULES

Rule No. 1: Start November 1 with a clean slate.

Rule No. 2: Let nature run its course by letting your mustache grow throughout November.

Rule No. 3: Speak up and raise awareness. Whenever someone takes notice of your new facial hairdo, take the opportunity to start a conversation about the Movember movement.

Rule No. 4: Donate and raise funds.  Put your growing mustache on the worldwide web.  Give it its own Mo Space page.  Ask your employer to match whatever proceeds you collect.

Those are all the rules.  It is easy to participate, and anything goes as far as your facial hair preferences.  Of course it is always a good idea to gain more forces for any movement, so if you are a great talker, maybe you can convince others to grow their whiskers too.  Most importantly, wear that mustache proudly and before you know it the time will come for Decembeard.

CAN THE LADIES JOIN?

Of course, Mo Sistas are mo’ than welcome.  Although, for biological reasons, the ladies are not required to grow a mustache, they are more than welcome to participate in any way they wish.  Mo Sistas have helped to draw attention to the movement as well as raised funds for the cause.  Some have taken the opportunity to dedicate their efforts to special guys in their lives, including dads, husbands, boyfriends, and brothers.  Men’s health topics concern not only men, but rather whole family units and communities.  This year, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas have a new challenge to take on, the challenge to get moving and make physical exercise a top priority each of the thirty days of November.

ARE THERE ANY PARTY FAVORS?

If you need a bit of motivation to get into the mood of Movember, consider the prizes that your mustache can help you win.

Get your ‘stache its own page on Mo Space, because the most popular one (see Movember rules) earns the Best Mo Space Award.  So let your whiskers walk the Mo Space runway and show everyone what you’ve got.  Add pictures regularly to keep your followers posted about your mustache’s latest development.  Ask your friends, acquaintances, and family to visit your Mo page and rate your ‘stache.  There are also Team Mo Awards for the best mustache teams, both big and small.  For you college boys and gals, there is the BMOC (Big Mo on Campus) Award.  Then there are all the prize drawings for participants who raise $25 or $100, not to mention the Mo Mo Award for the one who raises the most money during Movember.

WHICH MEN’S HEALTH ISSUES BENEFIT?

Even though Movember started out with the benefit of prostate cancer in mind, it has since evolved into a much more comprehensive effort not only to eradicate prostate cancer but also to do away with testicular cancer, improve men’s mental health awareness and care, as well as highlight the importance of regular physical exercise as an integral part of every man’s health.  Another goal is to raise awareness of signs and symptoms of problems such as testicular cancer which easily can be treated when detected early.  The point is to raise awareness of, figure out causes for and ultimately nix prostate and testicular cancers as well as other health issues.

Mental health might not seem like a pressing problem, but it plays an important role in all our lives.  It is particularly important to draw attention to men’s mental well-being because our society tends to send the message that men are not supposed to share their feelings or seek help when they are experience extreme stress, sadness, anxiety or helplessness.  When we do not take care of our mental health, we can suffer from depression, physical symptoms, and more.  The Movember movement helps draw attention to this often ignored part of the health spectrum, and sends the message that mental health certainly pertains to men as much as to women.

In other words, Movember is a call for movement, to get up off the couch and get active.  Most jobs these days entail sedentary days at the desk.  Gone are the days of physically demanding manual labor, at least for most of us.  So it is our responsibility to fit that part of a healthy existence into our life.  It is not just a question of vanity, maintaining a certain leanness or weight.  Exercise is essential for your body to function well in every aspect, from getting the most from sleep and maintaining a strong immune system to good blood circulation and maintaining a happy mental state.  So this Movember marks the moment Mo Bros and Mo Sistas mobilize all the guys in their lives and set their physical selves into motion.

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