Movember Gala: Mustaches, Mustaches Everywhere!

"Movember." Say it. "Movember." It rolls off the tounge, doesn't it? During my first few months in Sydney I heard the word "Movember" thrown around constantly but had no idea what it was. "I love Movember!" people would exlaim. "It's my favorite month of the year!" My reaction was always one of perplextion: "Huh? What is Movember?" Aubrey, perhaps the greatest fan of Movember, was the kind soul who finally explained it to me. "Movember is when men grow rediculous mustaches for the entire month of November in order to raise money and awareness about men's health issues. (November + Mustache = Movember. Get it?) It's the greatest month of the year!" She felt this way because she absolutely loves men with mustaches. She thinks there is nothing sexier than a man with a big 'ol stache. Wierd, I know. I, on the otherhand, prefer men whose chins, cheeks and lips are hair-free. Well, a little stubble is ok, but full-grown exhibitions of facial hair are a no-no in my book. Still, I was intrigued by this Movember, and when the month of November arrived (a month ago) I was impressed at how dedicated the men and women of Australia were to the concept and cause. 

Apparently Movember is a worldwide funraising effort. I am told that it does exist in the states. This was news to me. Perhaps you have heard of, experienced or even taken part in Movember before. I had not. This was my first Movember experience. For those of you who are still confused about what exactly Movember is about, here is how the Movember website describes it:

 Each year Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in Australia and around the world, with the sole aim of raising vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and depression in men.

Men sporting Movember moustaches, known as Mo Bros, become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November and through their actions and words raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.

Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo growing efforts. The rules are simple; register online at Movember.com and start the month of Movember clean shaven, before growing a Mo.  

Money raised in Australia is shared equally between programs targeting prostate cancer and male depression. Funds are committed to our men’s health partners, the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue – the national depression initiative and the Movember Foundation. Together, the three channels work to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world class programs in the fields of research, education, support, and awareness.

As we progressed into the month of November, it seemed that practically every male I passed on the street was sporting a mustache of sorts. Every which way I looked, there were men with mustaches! This was most true at work.  Frank, my manager, challened the male Summit employees to a  Movember competition: whoever could grow the best movember mustache (as determined by the Summit crew via a vote) would win a $100 gift voucher. And so each guy at Summit spent the full month of November trying to grow the best stache they could. It was so funny to see them all. Big mustaches. Small mustaches. Brown mustaches. Blonde mustaches. Mustaches, I have come to realize, are really unique things that come in all different shapes, sizes, colors and styles. No mustache is like the next. I have a newfound appreciation for mustaches and the Mo Bros that grew them.

Clearly unable to be a Mo Bro, I decided that I would hop on the Movember bandwagon by becoming a Mo Sista. Basically a Mo Sista is just a female who supports the Movember cause. Sara and Aubrey were also Mo Sistas. We decided that the best way to show our Movember support and appreciation would be to attend the Movember Gala at Luna Park in Sydney. This gala took place on November 25th, Thanksgiving night. After we had stuffed our faces with our Thanksgiving feast, we got in our gala gear and headed to the amusement park to partake in the celbration of men with mustaches.

Luna Park where the Movember Gala took place.

The Movember Gala was one of the most fun evenings I have had since being in Sydney. For the gala, Mo Bros were instructed to dress up in a costume to match their mustache. Mo Sistas were told to dress in a costume to complement the Mo Bros they were supporting. Basically it was a massive Halloween party at an amusement park, and we got to ride the rides for free! Us Mo Sistas didn't have any Mo Bros to dress up with, so we opted to purchase fun little top hats and draw mustaches on our fingers. At some point in the evening someone offered Aubrey a mustache cut-out, which she eagerly plastered to her face. It was hilarious, as were most of the outfits worn by the Mo Bro and Sista attendees. The costumes that the Mo Bros donned were creative, innovative and oh-so funny, including: ElMO, MOna Lis, and MOah's Ark (as shown below). Prizes were awarded for the best and worst Movember costumes and mustaches. The grand-prize winner's mustache started from his lip and went all the way down to his ankles. No joke. He had shaved off all the hair on his cheeks, neck, chest and legs except for two inch-wide lines of hair that trailed all the way down his body. It was impressive. It was hilarious. It was enough for him to be crowned Mr. Movember.

Flashing our finger mustaches

El-MOs!

MO-na Lisas

MO-ah's Ark (and his mustache clad animals)

The awards: no worries, even lame-mos are prize worthy!

Riding the free-rides at Luna Park and loving it

I am now a huge fan of Movember, and I am certain that in a couple of years Movember is going to be HUGE in the United States. I know this fun way to raise money for an important cause will catch on like wildfire. I predict that next year, come Thanksgiving you will be feating with mustache-clad husbands, sons, uncles and nephews. But don't worry, as soon as the calendar page turns to December 01, the staches come off. This I can assure you; mustaches on men are almost obsolete now, especially as we enter the summer season.