It’s Movember
(Mustache and November) and thousands of men will be growing mustaches for a
good cause in raising awareness to Men’s Health--Prostate and Testicular—cancer.
It’s a month long event that delivers a serious message and in a fun, engaging,
and informative way however, I have grown frustrated with a portion of the
female demographic for comments made.
Before I begin,
the comments made in this blog are based on my personal opinions and facts
gathered from the media.
The goal of
Movember is to change the face of Men’s Health, literally and figuratively but
rather than hearing the positive messages that should be ringing, the common
question among some women has been, “what do we make of it all?” From a female perspective, is this a good
thing? Is this trend something to be encouraged? Or is it all just a little furry-worm-lip-hat?
Seriously ladies? A “trend?” The
audacity! This is downright shameful.
In the month of
October, the world--men and women--embraced pink in a global showing of support
to Women’s Breast Cancer in which I was among the supporters having family who
has gone through the battle. Pink was everywhere and men wore it proud. The
support even showed up within the ultimate men’s pastime, sports! As an
example, the NFL and WWE transformed and branded their sets and uniforms with
pink detail. Just imagine the uproar among women if a man spat on Breast Cancer
calling the pink movement a “trend” and “ugly?”
A brief history
on how Movember came to be. In 1999, Seven Nightly News aired a story featuring
a group of young men in Adelaide, South Africa who coined the term
"Movember" and the idea of growing moustaches for charity throughout
the month of November. The group started with 80 men from Adelaide and soon
became a nation wide phenomenon. Since 2004, the Movember Foundation Charity
has been encouraging men to get involved, Movember aims to increase early
cancer detection, diagnosis and effective treatments, and ultimately reduce the
number of preventable deaths. Besides getting an annual check-up, the Movember
Foundation encourages men to be aware of any family history of cancer, and to
adopt a healthier lifestyle. In 2007, events were launched in Australia,
Ireland, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Spain, the United
Kingdom, Israel, South Africa, Taiwan, and the United States. In 2012, the
Global Journal listed Movember as one of the top 100 NGOs--non-government
organizations--in the world.
To date, the
Movember Foundation has since raised $174-million worldwide, after spreading to South Africa and Europe,
reaching North America in 2006. In 2010,
participants in the United States alone raised over $7.5 million. In 2012, 1.1 million people signed up to
participate, raising upwards of $95 million.
Movember is quickly increasing Men’s Health awareness with
the support from many influential individuals from sports, entertainment, music
and beyond. Bottom line, health is most important if you want to live the life
you want. Take care of yourself for your sake and those whom you love most. The
world is a better place with you in it.
For further information, education, partners, and support initiatives, please check out http://us.movember.com/?home -- There is some great merchandise for purchase to show your support in addition to growing that handsome facial hair.
Stache it up proudly gents,
The VoKARE Man -- Christopher Jozeph
