November. It’s the only month of the year when I grow a moustache and look like a character from the 1980s. You probably think, why on earth would you do that? Well, I’m delighted that you ask, because that’s exactly what I want: that people ask. And then I tell them about Movember.
Movember is a movement that was created in 2003, when a group of friends in Australia decided to bring back the moustache and link it to men’s health. They were inspired by one of their mothers who was raising funds for breast cancer. So the group decided to make the moustache the little brother of the pink ribbon.
I’ve taken part in Movember for four years and have quite a moustache on a yearly basis. Not much fun I can tell you. It itches and just hangs there above my lips. A couple of years ago, I even gave it a name: João, because my first Movember took place in Lisbon and João is basically the Portuguese for John.
And let me tell you, João is one stubborn moustache. It’s not easy to shave off my beard every day whilst my moustache can grow in full glory. But moustaches have a very important job: they are the captains of the movement. And this way, the moustaches achieve the ultimate goal: to raise funds and awareness for Movember.
Because it’s very easy for me to shave the thing off on 1 December. But men with testicular cancer, prostate cancer and mental health problems can’t shave off their illness. So it’s up to the men in the Movember movement to help them and hopefully they can and will be cured. Would you like more information about this movement or do you want to get involved? You can look here!
And anyone wanting to see João can make an appointment through his secretary, which is me.
