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| Clean Shaven |
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| Beardy |
For those of you that have been in hibernation and have some how not heard, the current calendar month is Movember. Have I made some sort of silly spelling mistake? No. Movember is a time when men around the world come together to do their bit for Prostate Cancer. It entails going back to a time when moustache's were acceptable, possibly even trendy (although this is debatable as my Dad had a moustache for many years). For just one month, men (or women, if you're into that) are encouraged to give up shaving the area above their lip in order to raise awareness and if possible, money, for charity.
As a joke, everyone in my house decided to take part in the event. Although as you can imagine, the results are extremely varied. Personally, I enjoy having facial hair as it takes focus away from my own facial architecture. I happen to suffer from a condition known as "babyface", where your face doesn't develop into it's full adult form and you are left with chubby cheeks. Other symptoms also include family and friends grabbing your cheeks and squeezing them. The condition was at it's worst throughout my teenage years, although I seem to be fairing better now I have hit 21.
Movember has been quite an interesting journey of discovery, or rollercoaster, if you will. I have found that being in the presence of other Mo' members is extremely enjoyable, with a lot of banter to be had. This also includes a Mo' party at the end of the month, where we are all able to come together and share views on our furry top lips, as well as our own experiences. However, we tend not to talk about the upcoming party as Movember is a serious event, one we all take "very" seriously. I have tried to enlighten my girlfriend that this is the case, although she refuses to kiss me now, let alone listen to my point.
As you can imagine, their have been some downsides to the growth of the Mo'. At first, it was barely noticeable, and people just thought "Oh he's forgotten to shave", or "He's going to shave that right?" As the facial hair has become prominent though, eyebrows have been raised, and social awkwardness seems to have increased. For example, I work in John Lewis, a somewhat prestigious and upmarket retailer. As a "Partner" of John Lewis, in theory, I co-own this business and am entitled to a bonus pay package every March, as are all employees or Partners of John Lewis. What is interesting then is the looks you get then when working there with this furry fiend hanging off my lip. Only one customer has actually clocked on and said, "Oh right you're doing that for Movember aren't you". Others simply choose to ignore it, but as I'm sure many females out there will know, it's fairly obvious when someone is looking at something else rather than actually making eye contact. What's worse however, is meeting with university tutors - academics that have as much knowledge as ... Well, they're just real clever ok.
Despite all this though, it's definitely worth it. Not only is this moustache the source of a good laugh (mainly at yourself), it gives you the satisfaction of knowing you're doing your bit for charity. All I'm doing is growing a moustache. I almost feel bad I'm not doing more to be honest! Anyway, this aspect got to me, so a few days ago I decided I would try and do a bit more. I went on the Movember website, set up a profile, and now anyone who wants to can donate money to my profile, which obviously goes straight to the Prostate Cancer charity. I posted this information on FB, but as you can imagine, most students don't want to part with their money unless it's for alcohol or other illicit substances. So currently, my grand total is a mere £5, provided by my Dad. Who, as I've already stated, was a former supporter and wearer of the moustache, so he probably just wants me to keep it anyway. Saying that, my Dad was kind enough to email the family and let them know of what I was doing. Meaning that this total may yet rise once more. If for any reason, someone out there decides they want to donate please don't hesitate to type my name, "Lawrence Smyth" into the search bar on the following page and donate the amount you see fit:
http://uk.movember.com/donate/find-member/
Thank you if you do decide to donate. I should probably warn you my girlfriend will hunt you down though. Only because I vowed to grow a handlebar moustache next time if I can reach a total of just £50. For those of you who don't know, a handlebar is the daddy of all moustaches, where one grows their moustache right down to their chin. As you can imagine, my girlfriend was not pleased. I believe her exact words were "Loz if you grow a handlebar, I will dump you". Guess that'll be put to the test then!
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| Whispy Mo' |
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| Man 'tash |
