If you notice more people walking around with mustaches this month don’t be surprised! In the past 9 years the “movember” movement has grown from 30 participants originating in Melbourne, Australia to over 1.9 million participants worldwide!  The term “movember” combines the words “ Mustache” and “November” and the goal of the movement is to raise awareness for men’s health issues with a concentration on prostate and testicular cancer. In 2012 it is estimated that over 200,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and over 8,500 men will be diagnosed with testicular cancer.

How can a mustache raise awareness you ask? Men are encouraged to register online at and raise donations by seeking out sponsorship for their mustache growing efforts. The men start clean-shaven on November 1st and continue growing their mustaches through the end of November. Not only do these men receive monetary donations, they are considered walking advertisements for men’s health awareness, attracting attention and questions wherever they go, especially by the last week in November!

For a complete history on the origins and growth of the Movember Movement you can visit: https://us.movember.com/about/mo-milestones/  

— Natalie Vavrasek
Interactive Associate Product Manager