Contributor Saniyah Qureshi
So what is Movember anyway? To be frank, I’ve heard of this term for quite some time and honestly had no idea what to make of it. Even after witnessing some of my male highschool teachers take part in this 30 day challenge of growing a mustache, I didn’t know the reason behind it. Now I’m super pumped to share and raise awareness on what I learned about this inspirational movement. So, whether you’ve heard about this occasion, participated alongside others, are a bit confused about it, or have no clue that Movember existed, keep on reading to find out about this incredible initiative anyone can take part in!
Movember is a campaign and charity with the sole purpose of promoting men’s health, specifically mental health and sucide prevention, physical activity, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. Founded in 2003, Movember has funded over 1,250 men’s health projects and refined health services outreach to men.
It all began in Australia, where a group of men discussed what they did to grow their own mustache. With a sudden interest in bringing the old fashioned mo’ style back, within the next year 30 men raised approximately $50,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Now being a global phenomenon, the mustache is a symbol that not only represents a man’s virility but in this special case is the established symbol for Movember. By embracing our hair, which unfortunately many patients cannot grow because of hair loss, we take part in the movement. That is, to educate others about cancer prevention, we save lives through donations and stand by those fighting their battles.
Both men and women experience mental health disorders. However, due to society’s standards of masculinity and the stigma surrounding masculinity, there becomes a lack of willingness for men to share their feelings. This reluctance and absence of needed communication is so crucial and may likely lead to detrimental choices made further down the road that could’ve been prevented. It was reported on average that 4,000 Canadians take their own life each year and of those suicides, 75% were by men. Although being just one statistic, this proves we must bring attention towards taboo issues, and Movember does just that in a simple and informative way.
To take part in Movember, also called No-shave November, it’s required to shave your face at the beginning of the month and to grow your mustache until November 30th. It’s also recommended to challenge yourself to become more physically active. Normally, men spend a great deal using products to groom their facial hair, but if that same amount of money were to be donated to this cancer charity, what’s considered to most as ‘small efforts’ would most definitely go a long way to help cancer patients in need.
But what’s also great is that this initiative isn’t exclusive to only men or what they refer to as Mo Bros; Mo Sisters are encouraged to take part too! By saving trips to the salon and instead donating that money to American Cancer Society, we would elevate Movember and in turn support cancer patients all over the world.
This initiative has been growing tremendously as it was recently proclaimed by the Mayor of Toronto, Mayor John Tory, that November 2020 signifies “Movember” in the city of Toronto. He mentions other ways to raise funds for research for Movember that include Move for Movember, Host a Mo-ment virtually or Mo Your Own Way.
To learn more about Movember and how you can donate, visit this website:
Now it’s up to all of us to support Movember!
#GrowyourMo’s
If you would like to support the battle against prostate cancer through BMSA, click HERE to go to our Movember page!