Men all around the world are gearing up to groom their mustaches as a part of an ever-growing trend to show off their facial styling, especially on social media. Although the effort may seem pointless, there is a much deeper cause in growing the ‘staches.

“Grow a Mo, Save a Bro”

The Movember Foundation’s tagline pretty much sums up the cause. The main purpose of the worldwide campaign is to raise the awareness among men on fighting prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and suicide rates, which have seen an increase over the years.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), males are four times more likely to die from suicide than females. In Malaysia, prostate cancer is the sixth most frequent cancer, according to the Malaysian Oncological Society, adding that it was prevalent in 5.7% of cancer cases in males.

The idea behind the ‘staches

With the lack of awareness and conversation on men’s health, The Movember Foundation pledged to reduce the number of premature male deaths by 25%.

The movement started in Australia in 2003 and turned into an official charity the next year, as a way of breaking the taboo and bringing men’s health issues into the spotlight, as well as raising funds that was donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

By 2007, the concept was then picked up by other countries who partnered up with organisations in their respective countries, including participation in New Zealand, Canada, Spain, UK, and the US – which is celebrating its 10th Movember this year.

Movember Foundation CEO Owen Sharp was quoted as saying in The Sun Daily, “By engaging with men where they are and understanding what works best, the Foundation is helping make change happen sooner, before it’s too late.”

Being the only charity to tackle men’s health globally, the foundation has grown and funded more than 1,200 men’s health initiative across 21 countries.

Other participating countries:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Hong Kong
• Germany
• Ireland
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Singapore
• South Africa
• Sweden
• Switzerland

How to take part in Movember?

Getting involved in the movement is as simple as starting the month of November clean shaven and letting your facial hair grow throughout the month. The aim, however, is to raise awareness and also raise funds for a local organisation for the cause, so this is where people get creative. Give the tips a twirl, or maybe even let donors dye it a funky colour to generate more funds. When someone asks about the crazy mustache, that’s the opportunity to tell them the reason behind it.

So what can the women do? Don’t worry, ladies, you’re not left out here. Women – or men who are unable to grow facial hair – can contribute by being active in a separate initiative called Move, also under the foundation. People are encouraged to set a sports goal to achieve, whether it’s running, walking, cycling, swimming, or rowing. Alternatively, set up events to spread the message and help the cause.

Want to be a part of this year’s movement? Visit Movember.com for details.