Come the month of November, men suddenly stop shaving.
They’re not upset with Gillette – they’re participating in No-Shave November, also called Movember.
The family of Matthew Hill, a father of eight from Chicago who passed away in 2007 from colon cancer, started No-Shave November in 2009. The Hill family wanted to raise awareness for cancer so they built a website and started the movement.
“The goal of No-Shave November is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free,” according to its website. “Donate the money you typically spend on shaving and grooming to educate about cancer prevention, save lives, and aid those fighting the battle.”
Like No-Shave November, Movember is a men’s health awareness event that occurs during November and involves not shaving. But rather than not shaving at all, those who participate in Movember shave everything off except for their mustache.
The money raised for Movember goes towards various men’s health issues, including prostate and testicular cancer. Travis Garone and Luke Slattery started Movember in 2003 in Australia, according to its website.
Both No-Shave November and Movember have become part of mainstream culture, though the popularity of both is still growing.
“I’ve never heard of [Movember] before,” said Dante Francis, a junior civil engineering major.
Unlike Francis, Dustin Green, a first year law student, said that he has heard of Movember, but only because it seems to be advertised more than No-Shave November.
Both Green and Francis are participating in No-Shave November this year, but for slightly different reasons.
“I do it because I feel like guys have to shave and look a nice most of the time. It’s nice to have a month where I can just let the hair grow,” Francis said.
Unlike Francis, every month is No-Shave November in Green’s book – he sports a beard all year long. Although he doesn’t really participate in No-Shave November on purpose, Green still knows the reasoning behind the event and donates what money he can to the cause.
While the intent behind No-Shave November is to donate the money one would normally spend on grooming expenses to cancer research, many engage in the trend without fully knowing the reason behind refraining from shaving.
“I think some guys hear about No-Shave November from other people … and they only do it because other people are doing it,” Green said.
Green added that there’s nothing wrong with people participating in the event without knowing why, although he does believe it’s important to donate to the causes that No-Shave November supports.
Even though No-Shave November has already started, it’s not too late to get involved – throwing out your razor is a good first step.
John Jacobs is a features staff writer. Features desk can be reached at features@ubspectrum.com.
