Movember

Held annually in November, Movember is a monthlong charity event during which men grow mustaches (also spelled moustaches) to bring attention to men's health issues, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and physical inactivity. By using men's faces as billboards, the worldwide campaign inspires a conversation about health issues facing men that often go unaddressed.

The Movember Foundation is the international charity that oversees the Movember campaign. The nonprofit raises funds for research and support programs to improve men's life expectancy and overall health. The goal of the Movember movement, according to the organization's website, is "to have an everlasting impact on the face of men's health."

Movember started in 2003 in Australia. Since then, the campaign has expanded to twenty-one countries. As of 2015, the movement has raised $710 million to fund more than 2,100 men's health projects. A growing phenomenon, Movember has been recognized for its impact on social change by several organizations.

Brief History

Movember comes from a combination of mo, a slang term in Australia for mustache, and November, the month in which the event occurs. The men who participate and raise funds in Movember are called "Mo Bros." Women who support and donate to the cause are called "Mo Sisters."

The grassroots movement began in 2003 when two Australian friends, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery, bemoaned how the mustache, or mo, had gone out of style. The two pals decided to bring back the mustache by refusing to shave during the whole month of November. At the time, a friend's mother was raising funds for breast cancer awareness, so the pair got the idea to tie their event to men's health, and more specifically, prostate cancer. They wanted to encourage men to talk about their health with one another. Garone and Slattery recruited thirty of their friends to participate in the challenge, with each donating $10 to grow a mustache.

Thus, Movember was born. The participants in the first Movember showed so such dedication that Garone decided to take the movement to the next level. In 2004, he created the Movember Foundation and its accompanying website. That year, the group adopted prostate cancer as its official cause and raised nearly $41,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). In 2005, the PCFA became the nonprofit's first men's health partner.

Movember has grown to include twenty-one countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong, and twenty men's health partners. In addition to prostate cancer, the nonprofit promotes awareness of testicular cancer, depression and suicide prevention, and exercise.

Movember is often grouped together with No-Shave November, but the latter is a separate organization. No-Shave November involves both men and women giving up shaving for the month. While Movember focuses solely on the growing of mustaches, No-Shave November allows men to grow beards in addition to mustaches and urges women to refrain from shaving their legs. No-Shave November encourages participants to donate the money they saved from not shaving to the American Cancer Society.

Topic Today

Movember is a unique and innovative social movement in that its participants take physical action to raise awareness of issues that affect them. Men start out the month of November clean-shaven and grow mustaches for the remaining thirty days.

The campaign shines a spotlight on health concerns that men usually do not speak about openly. Their hairy lips are a conversation starter, giving men the opportunity to talk about prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and fitness to those who ask.

Each participant in Movember must adhere to a set of rules:

• After participants register through the website Movember.com, Mo Bros must begin November 1 with their faces free of facial hair.
• Men must grow and groom their mustaches for the entire month.
• No beards, goatees, or fake mustaches are allowed. Men cannot grow their sideburns or chin hair to join their mustaches.
• Men should use their mustaches to stir up conversations and raise funds for men's health issues.
• Mo Bros should always act like gentlemen during Movember.

Men are encouraged to be creative while growing their mustaches. They can opt for a classic look or try to emulate the mustache of a famous person or fictional character. The Movember website has a Mo Style Guide that lists a variety of mustache styles, including the "rock star," "trucker," and "connoisseur." The website also offers grooming and styling tips.

Movember participants can raise funds for men's health in a variety of ways. The nonprofit has been successful in encouraging participants to put their own spin on bringing attention to the cause. Mo Bros may host their own events, including running marathons, climbing mountains, or hosting parties. They can hold fund-raisers during Movember or throughout the year. Mo Sisters can help plan and publicize events and raise and donate money. At the end of Movember, Mo Bros and Mo Sisters can attend official galas in acknowledgment of their participation and support.

Movember continues to grow. The campaign has benefitted from utilizing the Internet and social media to spread its cause. Since 2003, more than five million Mo Bros and Mo Sisters from around the world have participated. Ten years after the campaign's start, the Movember Foundation raised $126 million in 2013 alone to aid cancer research and further education of men's health issues.

Several publications and organizations have recognized Movember's impact on social change. The Global Journal listed the Movember Foundation among its top one hundred nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in 2011 and 2012. GQ Australia named Movember the winner of the magazine's 2013 Social Force of the Year award. NGO Advisor ranked the Movember Foundation forty-ninth out of the world's top five hundred nongovernmental organizations in 2016.

Bibliography

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