It’s Movember again, and no, that’s not a typing error. Men across the world will be growing out their moustaches, competing for the best tash in aid of men’s health awareness.
The celebration has come of age, as this is the 21st year of the month-long initiative. Movember is now an official fundraising event throughout the month of November. This is not just a trending fad and has converted into an annual worldwide phenomenon that tends to lean towards men’s health issues.
Now run by the Movember Foundation, this year’s main focuses are men’s mental health and suicide prevention; prostate cancer; and testicular cancer, and they are encouraging organisations and social groups to organise fundraising events for charities supporting those who suffer from the aforementioned illnesses.
Where does the Movember campaign come from?
Invented in 2003, Movember is believed to have either originated from a news story in Australia about a group of men who competed in a best moustache completion for charity, or another possible inspiration was the ‘Growing Whiskers for Whiskers’ campaign in the UK in aid of cats and the RSPCA.
The Movember Foundation was created in 2006, and since then the just-for-fun month has taken off around the world. Almost 7 million people have participated in charity events for men’s health awareness since it first began 21 years ago. November also coincides with International Men’s Day on November 19, so get growing, guys, and raise some cash for Men’s Health Awareness.