Inspiration comes in many forms. I never thought it would come in the form of a moustache. Months ago, I saw a picture of a young man on campus with an extravagant moustache surrounded by a gaggle of adoring ladies and thought to myself, that guy must be doing something right. It had to be the moustache.

Serious men, serious Mos. From left, Graeme, Andrew, Andrej, and Jeff. Photograph by Tina Marney.

The sight of this moustache, and its apparent effect on the fairer sex, inspired me to make my own attempt at growing a moustache. But was I strong enough to handle the inevitable pointing-and-laughing during the early stages of its growth? I knew I needed company. Fortunately, it was around this time that I first heard about Movember. The origins of Movember (Moustache-November) are not entirely clear, but the earliest confirmed report traces back to a group of young men in Adelaide, Australia in 1999. Their idea was to grow moustaches for the month of November and have people sponsor them to raise money for charity. While they initially raised money for different causes, as Movember grew into a worldwide phenomenon, the focus narrowed to promoting awareness of men’s health issues and raising money for research on cancers that affect men. Within the United States, the money raised by Movember participants is split between the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Once I decided to participate in Movember, I learned that there were actually quite a few men on campus that had participated in the past and even more that were interested in taking part this year. With our ragtag group of seasoned Movember veterans and enthusiastic new recruits, we began clean-shaven on November 1 and ventured forth into the world of moustaches.
As this article goes to press, we are about three weeks into Movember. During this time, I have learned many things about moustaches. First, in the early stages, every moustache looks bad. But as they fill out a bit, only most of them look bad. Some guys actually look pretty good with a moustache.

I’ve also come to realize that the choice of moustache style is definitely important. While men less well endowed in the facial hair department are certainly restricted in this regard, those with lots of facial hair have nearly limitless options. One of the more classic options would be The Horseshoe, also known as The Biker, which is characterized by the vertical extensions growing down from the corners of the mouth to the jawline. (Think Hulk Hogan.) This is not to be confused with the Fu Manchu, which is similar in overall shape, but consists only of very long hairs that grow from above the lip and are shaped to cascade around the edges of the mouth towards the chin and beyond. This is just the tip of the iceberg in moustache styles though, with other options including The Handlebar, The Pencil, and The Dali.

Another thing I’ve learned over the past three weeks is that if you get a large group of guys, have them grow moustaches, and put the idea of moustache-related wordplay into their minds by calling it Movember, you can count on hearing “Mo” used as a prefix for a long list of descriptors (Mo-larious, Mo-tastic, occasionally Mo-rrific) and inserted into a wide array of catchphrases. My favorite catchphrase so far? Ask not what my Mo can do for you; ask what you can do for my Mo.

More important than all of this, I’ve actually learned some things about men’s health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer. At the beginning, I looked at Movember as a great way to see what I’d look like with a moustache while being able to explain it by saying it’s for a charity fundraiser. But once I started telling people that one of the main goals of Movember is raising awareness about prostate and testicular cancer, I realized that I really didn’t know much myself.

First, prostate cancer is incredibly common. With the exception of skin cancers, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in America, primarily affecting men over fifty. Prostate cancer in particular is one form of cancer for which research has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of many. The widely used test that screens for the prostate specific antigen (PSA) protein in the blood has now been shown to save few lives and lead to unnecessary treatments for many men, since elevated PSA levels can occur for many reasons other than cancer. Screening methods that are more specific for prostate cancer and tests that can distinguish tumors that are likely to metastasize from those that may not lead to significant disease would be a critical step forward for men’s health.

While prostate cancer occurs primarily in older men, testicular cancer is more common in younger men. In fact, testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 18 to 35. Fortunately, testicular cancer is among the most treatable of cancers, with cure rates greater than 90%. Nevertheless, early detection and treatment is important, so any man that detects a lump in one of their testes should consult a doctor.

For those of us participating in Movember by growing moustaches, we are entering the final stretch. Blond-haired moustaches are beginning to be noticeable. Anticipation for the Movember-ending gala, at which participants dress in costumes appropriate for their moustaches, is in the air. Frankly, many of us are itching (literally) to shave off our ‘staches. But in the spirit of charity and for the sake of raising awareness about men’s health, until the end of the month, the Mo must go on.

For more information about prostate and testicular cancer, including the associated symptoms, see the following websites:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/prostate/
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/testicular/