Movember – It’s All for a Good Cause

What’s That?

A blend of ‘moustache‘ and ‘November‘, Movember is the time for men to grow what’s usually reserved to 1970s celebrities like Freddy Mercury (the lead singer of Queen) or Tom Selleck (the star of the once hugely-popular Magnum P.I.): a mighty moustache. November is the month for men to proudly display pubescence in order to raise awareness for prostate cancer, one of the most nefarious health issues men can encounter.

Movember is Nigh.

The idea is to “change the face of men’s health”, and what better way to do just that than changing the look of your own face for a month? Those men growing beards are constantly asked “You growing a stash? Why’s that?” Then it’s easy to speak to cancer detection, diagnosis and effective treatments that may bring about the timely detection of the disease.

Getting your lifestyle on a healthier track or looking into a family history of prostate cancer may also help prevent this very uncomfortable disease from breaking out.

How Did it all Start?

The Movember Charity Organization was founded in Australia in 2004, and – having raised over $175-million worldwide – it has since become one of the biggest NGOs (non-government organizations). It all kicked off when a group of 30 men in Melbourne started growing moustaches for a matter of 30 days in order to raise awareness for prostate cancer and depression in men. The Movember charity foundation was born.

Thanks to social media, its popularity quickly spread all around the globe. First it quickly found a lot of followers everywhere in the English speaking world, and today the message is promoted from El Salvador to the Czech Republic and from Israel to Taiwan. Of all the nations, Canadians have been the largest contributors to the Movember charities since 2011.

International Man of Movember

Every year, the International Man of Movember is chosen from 21 national winners. At the end of November, the country winners are chosen at gala parties to award the man with the most beautiful moustache. In 2013, Sweden’s Tom Rickard received the crown of hirsute garlic.