What is Movember? The men's health movement taking over November

Kate Ng
·Trending Lifestyle Reporter
·3-min read
Portrait of Asian senior adult man in green T-shirt and eyeglasses smiling looking at camera indoors. Middle aged old senior confident over isolated background.
Growing out a moustache during November can help grow awareness for male health issues. (Getty Images)

November has begun, which means it’s the start of Movember - also known as No Shave November. Campaigners will be shining a light on men’s health throughout this month.

The annual event encourages men not to shave and to grow out their facial hair for 30 days, in order to grow awareness of the importance of men’s health issues.

This year, the official Movember movement is encouraging men to sign up online or download the Movember app and set a fundraising target, which they can reach by sharing their journey.

So, what is Movember and how else can you get involved?

Young black man with a afro hairstyle looking into the camera whilst having his face turned to see the side of his face, smiling with copy space, stock photo
Movember began in 2003, and was started by two Australian men. (Getty Images)

Movember began in 2003 as a movement to shine a light on men’s health issues, from mental health and suicide prevention to prostate and testicular cancer.

Since then, it has funded more than 1,320 men’s health projects around the world.

It was started by Travis Garone and Luke Slattery, two friends from Melbourne, Australia. They began by recruiting 30 men to take up the challenge of not shaving, and now have six million people taking part,

Over the years, Movember spread across the world, with 19 countries participating as of 2022 - including the UK.

Colorful studio portrait of gay man smailing with his eyes closed. Part of the LGBTQ Portrait series.
You can participate in Movember in other ways. (Getty Images)

There are several ways to take part in Movember, the most popular being to grow a moustache and share the journey to raise funds. This means starting November clean-shaven and letting your hair grow out.

According to the charity, the rules are: "Don’t fake it. No beards, no goatees and no fake moustaches. Use the power of the moustache to create conversation and raise funds for men’s health."

Other ways to take part in the challenge include moving for mental health and hosting a "mo-ment". You can run or walk 60km over the course of November in remembrance of the 60 men suicide takes globally, every hour.

You can also host an event that raises awareness and funds for men’s health.

Yes! Women who want to participate in Movember are called ‘Mo-sistas’ and can help by "throwing their enthusiasm behind the cause of men’s health, promoting it among the men in their lives and helping kickstart important conversations around the world".

If you can’t grow a moustache, some women give up their hair removal methods and grow out the hair on their legs. But you can also take part by moving for Movember, or hosting an event to fundraise.

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