Growing Moustache To Raise Prostate Awareness!

Changing looks at the top to raise awareness about something at the bottom! Such seems to be the strategy of the “mo” campaigners worldwide.

Men will start November clean-shaven and grow a "mo" as a hairy ribbon, raising awareness of men's health and prostate cancer - mo is slang for moustache.

Adam Garone, Executive Director and CEO of the Movemeber Foundation, his brother and a few friends were joking about bringing back '80s fashion.

To justify the mo-vement, they used their new looks to raise awareness and money for prostate cancer research. While no money was raised in the first attempt, they realized that growing a moustache sparked conversations about prostate cancer, a subject most people consider off-limits.

Movember started in Canada in 2007 with more than 7,000 participants. It expanded to 35,158 moustache growers last year and raised nearly $8 million.

This year, the fourth campaign will continue to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

"One of the guys in our office just went through prostate cancer, and he always wore a moustache. It just seemed so fitting that we could do this," explained Bryan Lester, Saskatchewan spokesperson for Movember.

Movember is effective because suddenly there is a walking billboard on your face, he said.

"Moustaches are not very common anymore and every time someone sees that moustache they say 'what are you doing?'" Lester explained.

Lester thinks embarrassment and pride prevents men from seeking help.