Movember Changes the Face of Canadian Men’s Health One Moustache at a Time
It’s November 1st today – so don’t be alarmed if guys who previously had clean-shaven faces start growing a bit of fuzz on their upper lip (also known as the “hairy ribbon”……)! To be honest, I’m not a fan of moustaches – however, in the name of charity, I will suck it up and put up a post on Modern Mix Vancouver raising awareness about Movember!!
Movember is a global charity event that invites men to grow moustaches (or Mos) for the month of November. The moustache serves as the ‘ribbon’ and the vehicle by which participants in Movember raise funds and awareness for men’s health – specifically prostate and testicular cancer. Movember aims to reduce the number of preventable male deaths by raising funds and creating awareness for cancer affecting men.
The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia. The guys behind it joked about 80s fashion and decided it was time to bring the moustache back. In order to justify their Mos (Australian slang for moustache), they used their new looks to raise money for prostate cancer research… never dreaming that facial hair would ultimately lead to a global movement that would get men talking about a taboo subject – their health. Since Movember’s inception, over 372,000 Mo Bros have grown moustaches to change the face of men’s health.
As for the ladies, while growing a Mo is left to the guys, Mo Sistas (women who support their guys) form an important part of Movember by recruiting Mo Bros, helping to raise funds and attending the highly anticipated Gala Partés.
So, where does your monetary support go to? The money raised in Canada goes directly to Prostate Cancer Canada. Prostate Cancer Canada will use the money raised by Movember for the development of programs related to awareness, public education, advocacy, support of those affected, and research into the prevention, detection, treatment and cure of prostate cancer. Last year, in 2008 the Movember campaign in Canada raised $2.4 million making it the largest charity event for men. Significantly, awareness of men’s health issues has improved with Movember helping to spread important health messages directly to thousands of Mo Bros & Sistas.
Here, watch the video:
And for those who are keen to get even more involved, here is a Movember Contest you can enter!
