Growing a Moustache for a Good Cause
Andrea Lamarre
Handlebar. Natural. Imperial. Pencil. Walrus. What do all of these seemingly unrelated terms have in common? They’re all types of moustaches, and they’re all fair game in Movember.
If you haven’t heard of Movember, you’ve probably never searched the internet for a good excuse to eschew the razor. Movember began seven years ago in Australia, when four young men decided to bring back the moustache with a vengeance. These men, including Adam Garone, current CEO of the Movember Foundation, sacrificed their upper lips for a good cause—prostate cancer research.
Prostate cancer is a disease that has a huge impact on men’s health: one in six men will be diagnosed over the course of their lifetime. According to Jesse Hayman, a representative from the Prostate Cancer Canada Network, “Movember’s aim is to not only conduct research and help find a cure for prostate cancer, but to simply make men more aware of their health so that those one in six catch the disease in its early stages.”
This gimmick is certainly an eye-catching way to raise awareness. It’s hard to miss the facial hair that will be gracing the faces of our peers over the course of this month. Who can resist the urge to get their mo’ on? Students at universities across the country have been wholeheartedly embracing this bristly phenomenon for the past few years.
“Movember has already stormed campuses across Canada…turning everyday students into avid mo’ bros and mo’ sistas,” said Hayman. As the cause has gained momentum, more and more young people have been jumping on the moustache bandwagon, whether or not they know about the deeper reasons behind the month.
Hayman is enthusiastic about the way in which universities like the U of G have adopted the trend.
“There’s no one better than the enthusiastic and driven students of Canadian universities and colleges to grow that mo’ and support Movember,” he said.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, students have been taking advantage of this convenient excuse to throw caution to the wind and grow a mo’.
It’s hard not to laugh when you see young men cavorting around sporting moustaches varying in degree from sparse to full-bodied. While it’s entertaining to watch moustaches get a little out of control as the month wears on, the focus on raising money for a good cause can get lost in the festivities. Students at the U of G have formed groups to make sure that people remain committed to growing that moustache and raising funds.
“The cool thing about Movember is that it’s really fun—everyone can get into it. It’s also a really good cause. Men’s health is one of those things that is sometimes overlooked,” said Mike Ackland, a fourth year Management Economics and Finance student. Ackland is growing a mo’ for the month for the first time this year and spoke to the uniqueness of Movember’s approach as an active social event. “It’s similar to wearing a ribbon or wristband, but you have a moustache growing on your face.”
Ackland, together with Adam Kennedy, created a Facebook event in honour of Movember, and had it registered as a fundraising group through the Movember Foundation. Besides engaging students throughout the month, the group will be throwing a party at Frank n’ Steins on the last day of Movember. “Frank n’ Steins has donated their cover for the night. All the proceeds from cover will go directly to the charity,” explained Ackland.
The University of Guelph seems to be embracing the event wholeheartedly, as those students involved hope to raise thousands of dollars this month. As for coping with that nasty facial hair, the hundreds of participating U of G students will just have to explain to their friends and family that it’s all in the name of charity and, of course, good fun.
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