Mo Staches, Less Problems

The hipster movement has brought about a recent resurgence of ironically in-style beards and moustaches, leaving us surrounded by no shortage of facial hair. Amidst this sea of stubble, it can be easy to overlook the intention behind the global phenomenon known as ‘No Shave November’, or ‘Movember.’ This annual event is the work of The Movember Foundation, which seeks to spread awareness of important men’s health issues through conversation and donation. Since the establishment of Movember in 2003, November has become an increasingly awesome time for men’s facial hair.

The Movember campaign is trying to educate the public on a complicated problem using a simple approach. The concept behind the campaign is pretty basic: if you want to start a conversation, have an ice breaker. “Hey, this thing on my face is new and interesting,” is as good an opening line as I can think of. Through these exchanges, The Movember Foundation has been increasing awareness of prominent health concerns for men, as well as raising millions for research.

Since its conception in Australia in 2004, this push for social consciousness has become increasingly more popular. Last year alone, The Movember Foundation had 969,188 official participants and raised $120 million. According to Forbes, the leading country in the global campaign was the United Kingdom, which was responsible for raising $31.97 million. The United States ranked 2nd in participation with 219,953 people and 4th in money raised with $21.85 million. To date, the grassroots movement has over 800 programs in 21 different countries around the world. They have raised over $559 million worldwide, and are responsible for the birth of 4 million moustaches.   

Becoming a “Mo Bro” is as easy as not shaving. Well, almost. Start by going to Movember.com and signing up for the 2014 campaign. This is very fast and costs nothing, and lets The Movember Foundation recognize you as an official participant. Once you are registered, give yourself a clean shave on November 1st and you are good to go. Check out some of the great coupons and coupon codes we have for The Art of Shaving and Dollar Shave Club to make sure you start the month off right. The foundations website encourages people to plan Movember events, and offers a free event kit if you choose to host one. There is also a free Movember app, which is full of information and features, like the ability to track the progress of your ‘stache.   

If you are a member of the fairer sex, or you are like myself and just lack the appropriate Viking genetics to grow a healthy mane, The Movember Foundation has more ways to get in on the action. As part of Movember each year, the foundation partners with environmentally conscious brands to produce limited edition products which raise money for the cause while getting the word out. Adidas, Barbasol, and The Giving Keys are just a couple of the companies who are putting out Movember products this year.  One of our favorites this year are these 7 For All Mankind jeans, available for men and women, which feature a clean but subtle The Movember Foundation mustache logo on the pocket. It also should be no surprise that Toms, a brand at the forefront of humanitarian business practices, collaborated to produced this collection of men’s and women’s footwear for the cause.

With so many ways to get the word out, you have no excuse for not participating this Movember. So what are you waiting for, get out and get growing!