GROW A MO, SAVE A BRO!

GROW A MO, SAVE A BRO!

✦ How to help change the face of men's health? The answers are right under your nose.

What do Merv “The Swerve” Hughes, Magnum PI, Salvador Dali all have in common?

Not only are all regarded as legendary entertainers in their respective fields but all sported some of the finest and most celebrated moustaches of all time!

There are many more, of course: Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, Burt Reynolds, Sam Elliott, Groucho Marx are just a handful who are renowned for their trademark upper lip facial hair.

The moustache, or ‘Mo’ to use the parlance of our times, has led a varied life - mocked and derided in certain quarters over the years yet thankfully, almost in a comforting way, always there with selected style makers and trend setters.

Ben Tirebuck with a fabulous Mo

In recent years, the Mo has taken on important symbolic significance in raising awareness for men’s health issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide. November was chosen as the month and, when fused with the shortened version of moustache (Mo), resulted in Movember, an annual event with the goal of changing the face of men’s health.

The movement initially started back in 1999 in Adelaide when a group of mates casually came together over a few beers with the idea of growing their moustaches throughout the month of November all in the name of charity and raising funds and awareness of men’s health.

Their efforts were enthusiastically received as the trend spread across the country, prompting a group in Melbourne to ultimately form the Movember Foundation which was in time granted official charity status in Australia.

TG's Child Care Best Mo

Chester rocking his Mo!

In subsequent years the movement spread worldwide and became a cultural phenomenon, with over 6.5 million participants raising over US$1 billion and funding more than 1,250 men’s health projects across more than 20 countries.

Over the years the Foundation has forged several key partnerships with the likes of US-based Prostate Cancer Foundation, Prostate Cancer Canada, the UK’s The Prostate Cancer Charity, Spain’s FEFOC, the Irish Cancer Society, the Cancer Society of New Zealand, the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, the LIVESTRONG Foundation, and South African-based CANSA.

Funds raised by the Foundation have contributed significantly to pioneering research in the ongoing battle to understand and hopefully find a cure for many of the illnesses that claim so many lives every year around the world. In 2009, for example, the University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center made a significant research breakthrough identifying that there are 25+ different kinds of prostate cancer.

Two years later, thanks to Movember funding, the world’s first Prostate Cancer Genome Mapping Project was completed, expanding the understanding of how prostate cancer works.

By 2017 the Movember Foundation was ranked 49 out of the top 500 nongovernmental-organisations around the world and in 2019 Movember was announced as the official delivery partner for the Rugby League World Cup 2021 (postponed until 2022) - the first ever international sporting event to have a mental health charter.

There are countless inspiring stories that have been shared over the years from men who have been impacted by and struggled with men’s health issues and how the Foundation has helped. First and foremost it has brought a topic that was for so long often dismissed or deemed not not appropriate or comfortable to talk about. After all, the first step with dealing with any problem is to actually raise it and talk about it.

And that is exactly what has happened over the years as the movement’s reach and impact has increased. Nowadays there are all manner of outlandish designs being created and competitive dynamics being created between mates or coworkers. Indeed, there is even a style guide provided to help inspire choices (page 6 of the pdf).

Ultimately, despite masquerading as a bit of harmless fun and opportunity for mockery, Movember sheds light on a crucially important topic while helping countless people throughout the world in the process. So, if you haven’t done it already, let that upper lip hair grow throughout the month of November and help contribute to a hugely worthwhile cause.

Grow a Mo and save a bro!