The Mustached Month of “Movember”
Peter Laurente, 24, kinesiology major, representing “Movember” (Rachel Schmid)
The start of November begins a month-long charity event for all the lucky guys out there able to grow facial hair. Around the world each year men cease to shave their once hairless faces and pledge to grow out their mustaches for charity.
Known as “no shave November” or “Movember,” this charitable movement raises the awareness of men’s health issues – in particular testicular and prostate cancer. Movember began its growth nine years ago in Melbourne, Australia.
According to http://www.movember.com, the official Movember website, they have collected a total of $299 million. The website also affirms that the collected money not only goes on to aid the Movember Foundation, but also the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the LIVESTRONG Foundation. Last year, out of the $15 million collected, Movember was able to send 37.3 percent of that money to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and 29.9 percent to the LIVESTRONG Foundation.
Men register their upper lips by going to www.movember.com. After Nov. 1, these volunteers spread awareness about their manly cause thanks to their well-groomed mustaches as conversation starters. Environmental studies student Jacob Pietroburgo, 21, already bears a mustache, but he’s appreciative of the other men who contribute their faces for this cause. “It’s always a good idea to raise money for men’s health research,” Pietroburgo stated. “It’s a great cause and mustaches are really cool.”
Even though the thought of men gathering together to grow and groom their mustaches may seem comical, the need for men to know and understand their health risks is serious. A complete list of health issues that men need to be aware of are listed on http://www.movember.com The website states the importance of men’s attendance for annual physicals to catch heath problems early on.
Unfortunately most women in this day and age are not able to produce mustaches, but they can get involved through supporting those who can grow the ‘stache and through donations.
Saddleback student Gabriel Perez, 19, is setting his razor aside and taking part in Movember. His decision to participate in this cause is mostly due to his girlfriend. “My girlfriend is really into it,” Perez stated. “Last month she was into breast cancer awareness and we went on the Walk for Life. “Perez’s girlfriend has helped him gain more interest in his own health, but he understands why it’s hard for men to visit the doctor for checkups. “As a man, your pride gets in the way of getting checked,” Perez stated.
Not attending a regular checkup can be life-threatening and ultimately detrimental to your health. High cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer are a few of the many issues that men need to watch out for and routinely visiting a doctor may help prevent some of these health issues from happening.
If you think your upper lip is ready for this hairy responsibility, go to http://www.movember.com to learn more, donate, or take advice from Parks and Recreation actor Nick Offerman on how to expertly grow a mustache.
Tips on how to style a mustache:
-Grow ‘stashe to length of your wish
-Water ‘stashe and comb from center outward
-Scrape out wax and rub between the thumb and forefinger until it has melted
-From center out, rub wax into ‘stashe
-Give time for the wax to harden, then curl the ends of the ‘stashe inward for a sweet looking curl
-Look at yourself in the mirror with pride
Mustached Events for Movember:
-12 major cities across the U.S. are hosting Movember Galas. Tickets are $20.00 per person. You can buy tickets at: http://www.movember.com.
-L.A: Nov. 29, a Movember gala will be hosted at the Avalon.
-San Diego: Nov. 30, a Movember gala will be held at Block No 16.
-Orange County is hosting a mustache run called the Electric Run on Nov. 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the OC Fair and Event Center. Go to:
http://electricrun.com/orange-county-ca/ to purchase tickets