Why Do I Look Creepy? Mo' Awareness for Mo' Health

I look creepy.  Creepy and weird. And I look this way on purpose. Why? Because of Movember. Movember is a global initiative to raise funds and awareness for men's health issues.  We do so by growing a mustache over the course of November, and using that awkward, public display as a way to get people talking and interested in the issues.  Here's a quick bit of facts from the folks at Movember:

Movember is the global men's health charity encouraging men to grow and women to support the Mo (moustache) for the 30 days of November.  Through the power of the mustache awareness and funds are raised for men’s health to combat prostate and testicular cancer.

In the US, programs directed by the Movember Foundation are focused on awareness and education, living with and beyond cancer, and research to achieve our vision of an everlasting impact on the face of men's health.

Movember started in Melbourne, Australia in 2003 with two guys who wanted to bring back a past fashion trend - the moustache. That year, 30 guys participated but no money was raised. In 2004, amazed by the fun they had and the conversations that were sparked, four of the 30 original members came together to make their Mo-growing an annual, official charitable endeavor by adding an important cause – prostate cancer.  That year, 450 participants raised $43,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Movember came to the US in 2007, with 2,127 participants raising over $740,000. This year, there will be official Movember campaigns in 21 countries.

Globally, 3 million participants have raised more than $446 million to date.

There are other, similar activities, like Septembeard and No Shave November, but having a beard doesn't get people to look at you and ask questions like having a mustache does.  Not by a long shot.

On a personal level, I found myself in many situations where the awkwardness of having a Mo’ couldn’t be avoided. Some people might shy away from growing for this reason, but I took it as a chance to address head on why I have a Mo’ and educate people about the cause. That’s the whole point. This isn’t a small item you wear, a 5K race you run, or an email you send asking for money for a cause you care about.  It’s something front and center you literally have in people’s faces every day. You can’t help but educate people on the prevalence of prostate Cancer and why they should get behind me, my awkward look and Movember as a whole.

I went to a business school to give a presentation mid-Movember last year. There was no getting around my Mo’, so I decided to put it into my presentation to add a bit of levity and the opportunity to educate the audience on Movember. Someone had suggested I shave before giving the presentation so I don’t look unprofessional, but what looks unprofessional about giving of yourself to a worthy cause? A simple explanation of what I’m doing moves ‘unprofessional’ into a feeling that I am doing something good, which no doubt improves people’s professional image of me. Add to that, more than half the guys who walked in the room for the presentation weren’t just guys but were fellow Mo’ Bros, and it was definitely for the better that I hadn’t shaved.

On a much more personal level, I have a young son, and he also got into it with me. We talked about it every day – he’d help me take my daily progress photo, and often jumped into the shot with me while puffing out his upper lip to try to get his Mo’ to show (he was three, so it wasn’t going too well).  He’s already committed to growing one this year, but I’m afraid he’ll be stuck wearing a fake for a few more years. He had literally been talking about it since the summer to make sure we were ready for it when Movember 1^st came around.  More importantly than his ability to grow facial hair is the fact that he is aware of the cause, engaged in it, and sees that being charitable matters and can be fun and engaging. I’m proud of how it’s taught him about giving back of himself.

Ultimately, that’s what Movember is about. Sure, we raise lots of money for a very good cause. Sure we have some fun with it. But the key is really how you can’t avoid talking about it with others, and that awareness is how we’ll ultimately make the most progress.

I'm proud to be the global team captain for my company, which now has nearly 100 members (vs just under 40 last year), and we've already raised over $10,000 (we should double or triple that by month-end). And it's a lot of fun with people really engaging in it.  If you're interested and able, think about supporting my fundraising/creepy-looking efforts here. I'll share my final picture via Twitter at month-end, so be sure to follow me to see how it turns out. What you see shaping up is more of a block of marble from which I will sculpt the final Mo'.  I have big plans for it.

Sometimes, you have to be willing to laugh at yourself and let your serious side down to enlighten.your.body. What are you willing to do?