As Movember 2012 draws to a close, some of my thoughts about the experience as a first-timer:
- Growing a moustache is hard work.
Yeah, I know – First World Problems, and nothing compared to what men with significant health issues have to face on a daily basis. But cultivating a proper mo, as opposed to simply not shaving your upper lip for 30 days, requires a lot of effort – deciding on a style, trimming, shaping. However, the moustache is meant to be a statement, and a commitment, to send the message about raising awareness (and funds) for men’s health. If it were effortless, it would be too easy.
Over the month, that commitment has often been tested, because… 2. The moustache has really lost respect.
I’ve been told over the past month that my mo makes me look like everything from an adult film star to a sex offender, from a used car salesman to the man in the black top hat who ties helpless damsels to railroad tracks. Maybe I just have that kind of face, or my friends are loving the chance to get one over on me. But it seems to me that what was once a grand symbol of manliness has lost its mojo over the years. Sure we still have a few moustache icons – Ron Swanson, Ned Flanders, the Montreal Police – but they’re dwindling. I’m glad that events like Movember are reclaiming the proud tradition of sporting upper lip hair, if only for the eleventh month of the year.
Of course, I’m writing in jest. Here’s the point. Movember is coming to an end, and I’d love for you to make a donation to my cause. I’m especially close to Movember’s new support of mental health issues. I recently suffered from short-term, mild depression, and at the time I felt like all I needed to do was “man up” and handle it on my own. I’ve since learned that attitude may have allowed things to get worse, and interfered with or extended my recovery. Your donation to Movember will help fund campaigns to raise awareness among men that it’s not embarrassing or a sign of weakness to seek treatment for potentially serious health issues of the body and mind. More information and donate online here: http://mobro.co/davidraitt
Thank you in advance for your gracious consideration. And even if you choose not to donate to my cause, please consider donating to some form of charity this year. It’s the season of giving, after all.