Admit it. You thought Movember was all about growing mustaches. You thought it was just another nickname for “No-shave November”; just another reason dudes on campus are giving to legitimize not shaving.
If that’s the case, don’t worry. You’re not the only person misinformed on the origin of the new scruff trend. While mustaches can be a way for men to parade they’re on top of the trends, there can be a little more depth to jumping on the bandwagon this season.
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Today, BYU students Ian Davidson and Thomas Nord will hold an event to promote donations to the Movember organization from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Historic Southworth Hall in downtown Provo. Davidson and Nord said they were recently interested in becoming involved in some type of charity work.
“My roommate and I wanted to do something kind of like a non-profit here in Provo,” Davidson said. “Being in a Mormon dominant community, it was a bit hard to find something that piqued our interest that wasn’t like knitting scarves.”
Davidson said when he and Nord were introduced to Movember, they were immediately interested in the fun nature and internationally beneficial initiative. This was their motivation to throw the Movember Fest, a party where locals will gather to enjoy themselves and become more educated on men’s health issues.
The Movember organization, which began in 2003, has internationally raised $178 million. The organization “has done a lot of good in the short time it has been around,” Davidson said.
In addition to the festivities, Justin Tindall, a masters of public health student at BYU, will present at the event. Tindall works as a health policy associate for a nonprofit organization called Men’s Health Network. At the event, he will share why Movember mustaches are more than a trend.
“A lot of guys jump on the bandwagon and grow mustaches, but forget why it’s being celebrated at all,” Tindall said. “The whole point of Movember is to change the face of men’s health.”
Tindall said the Movember movement is similar to the breast cancer awareness movement.
“When you work in the medical field, you realize that when you’re addressing communities or groups, it’s difficult to address an entire population on a specific issue,” Tindall said. “The medical field and the public health field are starting to realize there needs to be gender-specific messages.”
Movember members share this vision. Tindall will demonstrate why the initiative is important, and why everyone should share the same vision.
“I’m going to be presenting on the differences in men’s and women’s health, how men’s health is poorer in the US than women’s health, and how we can change to make that better,” Tindall said.
In addition to Tindall’s presentation, Davidson and Nord plan for the Movember Fest to include light snacks and beverages, photo opportunities and a raffle with prizes. Donations will earn individuals a raffle ticket to be entered into the contest for prizes such as gift cards and passes to local restaurants and activity centers. The extensive list of prizes includes day passes to the Quarry Indoor Climbing Center and gift cards to Pizza Pie Cafe, Jamba Juice, Einstein Bagels, Station 22 Cafe and more.
Admission is free to the event, which will be held at the Historic Southworth Hall at 116 W. Center St. in Provo.
For more information on the Movember movement or to donate, visit movember.com.
