A couple of my mates told me to grow a moustache. "Why?" I asked. They told me it is Movember, so every decent bloke should grow a moustache. "Movem...what?" I exclaimed. "It's Movember." they reply in unison.
When I asked them what is the significance of it, they could not give me a direct answer but they kept telling me that it only happens in November. "If I want to grow a moustache, surely I can do any time I please, but why November?" I retorted. They still could not give me an answer.
So I went googling over the net and it turns out Movember is just another one of those endless fund raising and awareness event (this country is so full of these kind of things). It was started by a bunch of Aussie blokes to raise funds for local charity in 1999 and all of sudden it snowballed into a full blown event to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues since 2004. Proceeds were donated to Cancer Society, Prostate Foundation and Mental Health Foundation. Since then, it has spread to several countries like USA, UK, Canada, Spain and Ireland.
Yet, even on the official website, there is no explanation why this event only happens in November which I suspect no one would care to answer. So how does it work? Generally, the guys can take part by registering on the website and start to grow their "whiskers" and groom them for the whole month as well as raise funds. (When I heard about it, the funny image of a cat grooming himself kept floating in my mind.) Anyway, by the end of the month, there will a series of gala, parties to choose the bloke with the best moustache.
So, another question is why creating this event? It all boils down to the tough macho culture in this corner of the world. The "tough real men" mentality are the main reasons why most men here lack awareness of their own health issues, neglect regular medical checks and the reluctance to see doctor to seek treatment. So the aim of this event is to change this mentality that is so prevalent in the male populace (which is sad I know).
When I think about growing a moustache or a beard, I had to cringe. My facial hair sprout so fast like wild weeds all over my face that I had to shave everyday. Besides, once you grow your whiskers, you got to trim and groom them from time to time to make it look tidy and to be honest, I do not really have patience to perform such chores. On top of that, I hate sporting a beard or a moustache because that will make me look wild and unkempt (like a hobo). "So, are you planning to grow a moustache?" someone asked. Well, I am not sure yet...
2 comments:
It's not at all about "tough real men". It's about men in general of all sorts. It's in November so they can use the annoying Movember pun, but apart from that they support great causes and raise awareness of men's health issues such as prostate cancer. There's so (rightly) so much emphasis on pink ribbon days and breast cancer etc for women, that men get forgotten.
I'm all for it - but I sponsor people rather than jumping in with the moustache thing myself - it would take me a whole month to sprout anything of substance and even then it'd look ridiculous! :)
You are lucky to be blessed with a face without moustache or the lack of it. I would imagine that you must got those smooth "baby-butt" face. Well, at least you can save some simoleons and don't have to buy all those ridiculous shaving creams and anti razor burn lotions.
As for me, it a lot of hard work to make my face look tidy. If left untended, my whiskers will explode into a thick "bush". LOL
Of course, I have no issues for supporting such good causes. But I will not jump into the bandwagon by sporting a moustache myself. :)
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