There’s a creative phenomenon happening with men worldwide during the month of November, and it involves growing mustaches.
For many people, especially those striving to raise awareness about prostate cancer, the month of November is better known as “Movember.” Mo-what? According to the website, the name derives from the slang for mustache (The Mo) combined with November.
Much like the pink ribbon is the symbol that represents breast cancer, mustaches on men have become the symbol for raising awareness about prostate cancer, which is the number one cancer affecting men. Movember challenges men to change their appearance in order to change the face of men’s health. Men who grow a ‘stache and participate in Movember are encouraged to gather donations that benefit prostate cancer research and programs that support people with the disease. Funds raised through Movember’s U.S. campaign will go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG, the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Movember is happening all across the world, so you can likely find a group or person to support somewhere close to where you live. In the Detroit community, we have a group of dedicated men who have committed to embracing the scratchy ‘stache all this month. They are Team Backchannel, and you can follow along with their progress (and have a few chuckles if you’re used to these guys without mustaches!) on their website and with the #teambackchannel hashtag on Twitter.
If you’re able to, please consider donating. Team Backchannel’s goal is $5,000, and they have currently raised $658. We’ve almost hit mid-November, so I encourage you to help this great group of guys get closer to their goal. You never know if/when prostate cancer will touch your life, if it hasn’t already, so do what you can now to support those looking for a cure and helping people who currently have the disease.
Good luck, Team Backchannel, and thank you for taking a stance against prostate cancer.