Fan-tache-tic: Movember is back in town

In the coming weeks, you can expect to see a lot more men sporting upper lip
craftsmanship. The yearly worldwide Movember campaign challenges men to
grow a moustache throughout November to raise both awareness and funds for
causes related to men’s health.

What started as a pub joke between friends in Australia in 1999 became a global
men’s health movement spreading first to New Zealand, then Canada, the United
Sates, South Africa, Ireland, the United Kingdom and a few other European
countries. Global participation and funds increased exponentially over the years,
leading to £48.5 million raised by over 440 000 participants in 2010.

The funds raised in the UK go to The Prostate Cancer Charity and the Institute of
Cancer Research to support programmes in the areas of awareness, education,
survivorship and research. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in
the UK, accounting for nearly a quarter of all male cancer diagnoses.

The campaign kicked off on campus with the ‘Big Shave-off’ on Monday
October 31 and Tuesday November 1 in the Students’ Union (SU) to spread the word
and make sure no one was getting a head start.

Because the SU has changed its legal status in the course of the last academic
year and is now a charity, it cannot use its resources to promote another
charity. For this reason, SU marketing manager Jackie Smyth had to hand over
the organisation of Movember to a student. Stephen Mendonca, second-year
Psychology student, took part in Movember last year and is now in charge of the
campaign.

Mendonca described Movember as “one of these things you look back on and
have a giggle about”. He does absolutely not regret having taken part and is
ready for growing a moustache again despite the lighthearted threat of his
parents to disown him if he would do so. “It’s such a conversation starter; I
spoke to more random people on nights out than I would have if I didn’t have a
moustache.”

Rather than men’s health being potentially overlooked, Mendonca advanced that
it is the male attitude that is the main problem: “We hate being told that we need
help”. This view is shared by Smyth, who thinks that whereas women are aware
from a young age of the need to take care of their health, men are unlikely to
regularly go to the doctor. Movember aims at making men more proactive about
their health.

To take part and become a ‘Mo Bro’ or a ‘Mo Sista’ – for example by painting or
sporting fake moustaches for the month – simply register at movember.com. It
is possible to join as an individual or as team, and then join a network. Warwick

RAG as well as sports clubs, such as Warwick Rugby League and Lacrosse, have
already registered. A new initiative by Movember is the University Challenge,
which allows teams that joined University networks to get prizes depending on
how well they rank against the corresponding team in other universities.