At some point during the autumn of previous years, you might have already heard of Movember. It’s even more likely that you’ve seen Movember in its various guises during the last few years too. Well, it’s come to that point in the year yet again when many a man decides if they’re going to be part of the good ship Movember for all of its 30 days.
The Facts
Elysium Magazine has been a fan of the campaign for a few years now, so we’d like to pass on knowledge to our discerning readers. Movember, for those not aware, is the annual, month-long celebration of the moustache in November, highlighting men’s health issues, and specifically prostate cancer. Some stats around prostate cancer that might make you take note:
- One man dies every hour of prostate cancer in theUK
- Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in theUK
- In theUK37,000 men are diagnosed every year, this is the equivalent of 100 per day
- 1 in 9 men will get prostate cancer in theUK
- 250,000 men are living with prostate cancer
- 10,000 men die every year from prostate cancer in theUK
So to help raise awareness men up and down the nation grow a moustache for the 30 days of November, and get sponsored by friends and family to raise money for charity. Originating fromAustralia, where the moustache is called a ‘mo’, the campaign was born into the now worldwide phenomena of Movember. Last year more than 447,000 Mo Bros (the men) and Mo Sistas (women in support of Movember) across the globe took part to raise more than £48.6 million for men’s health charities.
To date, Movember has raised over £108.5 million globally for the fight against prostate cancer and other illnesses affecting men. More importantly, as a direct result, male awareness of health issues has improved with Movember helping to spread health messages directly to millions of Mo Bros & Sistas around the world.
Pride
What makes this campaign special is that it’s fun. Thoughts may start to wander as to what you’d actually look like adorning a furry top lip and the amount of ridicule you’ll have to bat away, but that’s part of Movember’s allure. Explaining the reason for your ‘tache to family, friends, work colleagues et al each time you meet them during the month is something that should be enjoyed.
In fact many men take great pride in their ‘tache during Movember. The grooming and styling is a big part of the fun whilst the gala parties at the end of November – thrown in celebration of an epic month, are a fitting tribute to the end of a campaign. Such parties are where Mo Bros and Mo Sistas get kitted out in the fancy dress costumes most suited to their mo’s, while a host of awards are dished out for best mo’s and costumes. The party symbolises all that Movember stands for – solidarity amongst men and the good-natured joviality enjoyed by all.
Get involved
So there you have it – the facts, the cause and the reason for your participation this year. It’s just 30 days with a ‘tache, or mo as you’ll soon be calling it.
