As a student, have you ever taken the time to stop and observe your surroundings on campus? Probably not—most of us are speed walking just to make it to class. During your sprints between buildings, some of you may think you’ve been hallucinating, saying to yourself: “Either I’ve had too much Red Bull, or that guy missed a really big spot when he shaved this morning.”
Believe it or not, you aren’t hallucinating. The moustache, popular in the ’80s, is making a comeback. There is a perfectly good explanation for this, and no, it isn’t because Tom Selleck is bringing back Magnum P.I.
November has been designated as “Movember,” an annual celebration promoting awareness of men’s health issues, particularly prostate cancer. The idea, originating in Adelaide, Australia, is for men to grow moustaches during November to raise money for prostate cancer research.
A “Mo Bro” is someone who looks for donations from friends, family, or essentially anyone they run into. He starts off the month clean shaven, and over the next 30 days lets loose the beast that his wife, girlfriend, or mother would never allow to come out of hibernation.
At U of T, we have quite a few “Mo Bros,” and one in particular is making a ’stache splash. Nick Snow is a member of a U of T’s men’s basketball team, and is currently sporting the horseshoe-style ’stache. “It’s [part of] a fund-raiser for Prostate Cancer Canada, called Movember, where guys grow moustaches for a month and get people to sponsor them,” said Snow.
As for the rest of the team’s moustaches, Snow said that “some of them are a little shy, and some might not be able to fill one out.”
At the men’s basketball home opener on Nov. 6, the support for Movember was almost as strong as the support for the team itself. The first few rows of bleachers were full of “Mo Sistas,” females who, for obvious reasons, can’t grow a moustache but show their encouragement by taping on a fake one.
To date, Nick Snow and his PHE team, made up of students from the faculty of physical and health education, have raised $1,230 in donations for the promotion of prostate cancer research, detection, and treatment, as well as support for families of men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Much like the pink ribbon for breast cancer or the orange ribbon for leukemia, the moustache is becoming a symbol for prostate cancer awareness. Money raised by Mo Bros could potentially aid someone you know. Who knew that a few Aussies looking for a way to justify growing out their moustaches over a few beers would initiate a worldwide movement?
To make a donation, go to movember.com, where you have the choice to donate to the cause in general, an individual (i.e. Nick Snow), or a team (i.e. PHE at U of T).
