During this month of November, somebody came up with the idea that we men shouldn’t shave – called “No Shave November” – or simply grow a mustache – called “Movember”. The idea is supposedly to raise awareness for prostate cancer “and other male initiatives” (according to the Wikipedia entry).
Up until that point, everything’s fine. I have my own gripes with the whole “awareness” movement, and I have mixed feelings towards the effectiveness of such things. But I can tolerate it, unless they’re actually harming their cause (which with some causes, is actually the case). So as far as that goes, I’m OK with the whole idea of “Movember”.
That is, until people start bugging me to grow a beard, a mustache or simply not shave.
Look, I might let a little bit of fuzz grow on my face, but that’s as far as it goes. I like my face smooth and I’m pretty sure me growing a beard is not going to make a difference. If I want to support a cause, I support it. Just because I shave it doesn’t mean I’m wishing a plague on your balls. And let’s not even get into the fact that most people I’ve seen don’t even know what the actual purpose of this whole thing is – to them it’s just a fun, funny idea.
But, even after I basically just bashed Movember, I realize people will still do it. And like I said, I don’t mind. But can we PLEASE all agree that people that are basically incapable of growing a full beard should just avoid the whole thing altogether? I mean, nothing is worse that a patchy, limp beard. NOTHING.
Anyway…
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Prostate me there and prostate me there. November is just an excuse to grow outrageous beards and whiskers without anyone being allowed to make fun of you for it. Cus if they do they are pretty much ROOTING FOR CANCER!
I can’t really grow a beard yet, though…
I’ve been shaving my head for about 5 months now, and at first, my girlfriend was against me shaving it all off. So, a few days ago, my girlfriend was going through photos of us taken over the 2+ years we’ve been together, many of which show me with hair. She turned to me and said, “Wow, you look so much better bald. I can’t believe I ever didn’t want you to shave your head. Don’t grow it back.” And I’m afraid her opinion trumps anybody else’s about growing my hair out.
Besides, one time, I let my facial hair go for 3 months. It disappeared the day one gal said I looked like an axe-murderer…
I shave oly my beard and not too often to let people know i can have one if i’d wanted to. the last time the scissors toutched a strand of my hair was 5 years ago and now they are middle back length and because of it once a guy thought I was a woman and was hitting on me till I turned… I had a moustache and goatie at that time and he nearly fell off his chair, since then im tying them behind.
rest easy, O, you are doing your bit. I have been hearing about Movember for years and until today did not understand why hirsutely challenged men would let their faces go moldy. For myself, I oscillate between being bearded or not (never just a mo, sickening look, very popular with fascist leaders and wannabe fascist leaders) and my beard is thick and handsome, I even once shaved my head before going on the camino de santiago, I had a new girl (still my girl 10 years on) and she saw me long haired and clean shaven the day before I left, bearded and bald when I walked into Santiago where she had gone to meet me. Facial hair should be for fun, not for fanatacism.
I think part of the charm of Movember is that guys are willing to walk around wearing dodgy looking moustaches for a month despite what fashion (and their girlfriends/wives)) tells them. Even if it’s just a wispy line of hair on a Central American’s upper lip, or a patchy clumping of hair on an Asian face. As prostate cancer has close to the same lethality of breast cancer yet gets a fraction of the funding it’s great that guys are looking to add to that funding in a way that also gives it awareness in the public arena. The ‘other initiatives’ allows them to be more flexible and put money into things like depression and suicide, areas that have many more male sufferers.
But as O said, no one should be pressuring people into taking part, indeed with facial hair that is well established by now I am not shaving it off and starting all over again (note for people with other half’s that complain about ‘rough hair’, once it’s a couple of weeks old it won’t be so scratchy and she might enjoy the new softness), nor should people be pressured into shaving their head for cancer victims, wearing tattoos or even just buying a pen or badge for a cause they aren’t particularly interested in.
Personally I always thought that “raising awareness” was a bit of a cop-out. Just because people are aware of an issue doesn’t mean they’re going to start donating their money to the cause. In some cases, it can even backfire because people think that by participating in an event to raise awareness, they’ve done their part. In the case of Movember, unless you actually go out and GET donations while growing your beard/mustache, you’re really not benefiting the people who the event is about at all.
I totally fail to see how not shaving for a month will raise awareness about prostate cancer but hey, to each their own. Personally I have no intention to ever grow a beard or a mustache and Movember won’t change that.
Also, “Mo Bros”. Seriously?
By raising awareness it makes it more acceptable to talk about, and more acceptable for men to go and get tested. Growing a mo, as opposed to ‘not shaving’ was originally devised as a humorous and month long (to parallel the month of pink in October) way to raise money. That Movember is now strongly associated with Prostate Cancer research and general men’s health shows how effective it has been. Movember has only been around since ’04 and global since ’06. Not a bad effort.
Yes seriously.