Mo’s for a cause

Jodie Vanderslot | Health Editor

When November rolls around, it’s an invitation to stop shaving and start ‘staching. On November 1, you see the men in your life go in bare-faced and brave, and as the month goes on, they become one of the many faces for the cause.

You might joke about it with your friends—but beyond the beard combs, moustache wax, and fun, Movember is an incredible movement meant to raise awareness about male health issues. It’s important to participate, but it’s also crucial to know the significance behind the moustaches.

“Patchy or poofy, pursuing the growth raises awareness for men’s health and everyone that can, should participate!” says fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student Michael DiMatteo.

Thousands of men will adopt a range of well-groomed to wildly sported looks for the entire month, in collaboration with the Movember Foundation and millions of individuals. These participants are a part of a collective Movember cause—they are the faces behind the moustaches, and the reason why Movember is so important. This campaign is meant to highlight the long profile of diseases, such as prostate and testicular cancer, and issues of poor mental health that affect men but aren’t being openly addressed.

Braden Bartoshewski, a fourth-year Engineering student says: “It’s a fun way to spread awareness about such an important topic. It gets people talking while letting them live out their own Ron Burgundy fantasies.”

Travis Garone and Luke Slattery are the two Australian men who decided to bring the moustache trend back. In 2003, the pair had a conversation about growing a “mo” and convinced their friends and community to grow out a moustache. They created the campaign regarding men’s health and prostate cancer, charging $10 to participate.

The next year, Garone and Slattery approached the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) in hopes of formally and publicly endorsing their cause. The PCFA received the largest donation ever from the first Movember cheque, which was for $54,000 AUD (approximately $52,500 CAD) in donations that the 450 Mo Bros raised.

While prostate cancer is often associated with Movember, the organization found that depression was a significant men’s-health issue as well. Men’s mental health is such a topical issue, yet it’s not being talked about. The national depression and anxiety initiative was brought in as Movember’s second partner.

It’s estimated that three-quarters of suicides are committed by men, and 500,000 men take their own lives every minute. There are too many men committing suicide, suffering in silence.

The charity has only grown in succession and awareness. By 2007, the campaign became international. Today, the campaign is official in 21 countries and funds over 1,000 men’s health programs with over one million Canadians taking part.

“I think that it’s a great way to be able to raise awareness, especially since you don’t need to do much to be able to raise awareness for it—just don’t shave,” says first-year undeclared student Mohammed Rehman Abid.

Men’s health is often overlooked, their symptoms are ignored, and their emotions pushed down. The motive behind Movember is to promote awareness, increase prevention, and break down the stigma by creating a conversation.

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Movember Foundation in Canada, and they’ve adapted a new motto: “Stop men dying too young.”

Studies have found that one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is slow-growing, often not presenting symptoms, which is why annual physicals are vital.

Testicular cancer can affect those as young as 15 years old. It is usually discovered in an abnormal growth or lump. As testicular cancer is an area that is significantly underfunded, the Movember Foundation aims to tackle this issue. In publically addressing this topic and making it a priority, we will be better able to educate men about the disease, prevention, and treatment.

“It’s not about how much mo you can grow, but rather that you show the mo, so that we can all grow. It’s important not only to bring awareness to the subject, but to also raise money in order to help medical advancements,” adds Bartoshewski.

Further, testicular cancer rates have doubled in the last 50 years, and prostate cancer rates are set to double in the next 15 years.

On average, men die six years earlier than women.

Men are often stigmatized if they are overtly emotional; it is not presented as a “manly” quality, which can lead to devastating consequences on men’s mental health. These stereotypical ideologies of men and “ideal” masculinity are killing men.

Physical activity and diet are increasingly crucial in the maintenance of health, as it is the best way to combat disease. This year, Movember is encouraging those who do not want to grow a ‘stache to take part in the Move Challenge and get moving.

The Movember Foundation’s goal is to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25 per cent, by the year 2030.

At York, many colleges are hosting their own Movember events and fundraising for men’s health.

Support the bros and contribute to the conversation, because while their “mo’s” might look funny—the challenges they could be facing are not.