What is Movember?

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

More than a moustache

Where it all began…

Movember is about more than just growing a moustache. The Movember Foundation is a global charity committed to men living happier, healthier and longer. It does this by raising awareness and vital funding for the fight against prostate cancer, testicular cancer, poor mental health and physical inactivity.

Movember was born after two mates (Travis Garone and Luke Slattery) met up for a beer in Melbourne, Australia. That was in 2003, and they managed to convince 30 men to grow a moustache. By 2014, 4,746,905 ‘Mo Bros’ and ‘Mo Sistas’ had signed up for the Movember campaign.

Did you know…

In 2014 £11.7 million was raised by ‘Mo Bros’ and ‘Mo Sistas’ across the UK.
There are between 10,000 to 20,000 hairs on the average man's face.

How to choose your Movember style?

Luckily there are no rules on how you should grow your moustache for Movember, so go with whatever floats your boat, whether you are inspired to look like an English gentleman or a French painter – there is something for everyone.

Here are just some of the options available:

What makes you a Mo Bro or Mo Sista?

Well, Mo Bros are encouraged to grow a moustache during November to promote the importance of men's health.

Mo Sistas, on the other hand, are champions of men's health, not only encouraging the men in their lives to grow a Mo', but actively raising awareness themselves to change the face of men's health.

Mo’ information

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the UK. About 1 in 8 men in the UK will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives.
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 25-49.
41% of men in high-income countries don’t exercise enough.

Mo’ fun facts

The world's longest moustache is 14 feet long and belongs to Ram Singh Chauhan of India.
Moustache hair grows faster than any other body hair, with peak seasons being spring and summer.
Facial hair grows back on average ½ inch a month.
55% of men worldwide have facial hair.
The average shave takes 3 and a half minutes.

Know the signs of your health

If you notice any changes when you urinate or have trouble controlling your bladder – this could be a sign of a problem in your prostate.

The most common symptom of testicular cancer is a lump or swelling in part of one testicle. It can be as small as a pea or it may be much larger.

Adult men (19 to 64) should aim to be active daily. Over a week, activity should add up to at least 2 and a half hours of moderate-intensity activity in bouts of 10 minutes or more – one way to approach this is to do 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week.