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whether you support no-shave november or movember, it's all about men's health

grow your 'stache or don't shave your legs for 30 days and help raise awareness and funds to support the health of men.

by karen hawthorne

nov 4 2022
read time 2 minute read
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the idea of not shaving to support men's health began in 2003
if you are planning to grow your 'mo', you can register with movember to officially join the movement and choose how you want to participate. getty
things are hopefully going to get hairy this month with both no shave november and movember kicking into high gear.

no shave november , an initiative run by the chicago-based mathew hill foundation , is a month-long push for people — both men and women — to abandon their razors and trimmers and get scruffy (this includes all body hair) for a cause, national today reports .

the aim is to start conversations and create awareness about cancer, while celebrating your hair, which many people with cancer lose during treatment. participants are encouraged to donate the money that would normally be spent on monthly hair maintenance to cancer research, support and education. just a few days in, $146,066 has already been raised by 469 members and 245 teams.

and while movember also encourages the growth of hair, it’s only moustaches that are not shaved or trimmed. the event also has a more targeted fundraising focus that includes prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and  suicide prevention . as of 2021, movember is observed in more than 20 countries including australia, belgium, canada, singapore, south africa, and the u.s.

almost 30 years of not shaving in november

the tradition of not shaving in november has been around for years, taking root in australia in 2003 when a group of friends decided to grow their moustaches for “movember ” and collect money for men’s health charities during the month.

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then in 2009, after losing their father matthew to colon cancer in 2007, his eight children decided to create another hair-growing event, a movement that started with 50 facebook followers . that number has grown to almost 300,000 around the globe, and has raised millions of dollars for initiatives including cancer research, free information and services for cancer patients and their caregivers, and early detection programs.

if you are planning to grow your ‘mo’, you can register with movember to officially join the movement and choose how you want to participate — simply growing your moustache, walking or running 60 miles during november (60 stands for the 60 men who take their own lives every hour in the world) or hosting an event, called a “mo-ment” to raise awareness of men’s health.

    if you’re planning to let all of your hair get unruly, you can set up your own personal fundraising page with no-shave november, or simply make a donation.

     
    karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.
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    karen hawthorne
    karen hawthorne

    karen hawthorne worked for six years as a digital editor for the national post, contributing articles on health, business, culture and travel for affiliated newspapers across canada. she now writes from her home office in toronto as a freelancer, and takes breaks to bounce with her son on the backyard trampoline and walk bingo, her bull terrier.

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