There was the pencil in the 50s, the chevron in the 70s and the horseshoe in the 80s.
Styles of the moustache have changed through the ages, but recent years have brought the hairy upper lip back in a different way – for charity.
Movember is an annual event that involves growing a moustache during the month of November in support of prostate cancer research.
The St. Thomas University Student Athletics Council (STUSAC) is making sure the men at St. Thomas have a hairy upper lip until the end of the month.
They have organized their second Movember Gala, a semi-formal event that raises money for the Movember organization.
Hannah Davies is one of the organizers and said Movember is not only a good cause, but is also a lot of fun.
“Seeing all different types of men, from students to professionals, grow out their moustaches is always entertaining,” she said.
The gala is being held at the Hilltop on Prospect Street, beginning at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Davies is encouraging everyone to go, not just those who participated in Movember at STU.
So far, they’ve raised $1,800 and hope to increase it to their goal of $3,000 on the night of the gala.
“But $1,800 is already more than we raised last year,” Davies said.
It isn’t Jonathan Munn’s first time growing a hairy upper lip for the cause.
He did it as a senior in high school, and feels like it’s a way for men to spread awareness about prostate cancer just like women wear pink to support breast cancer.
“The reason that this is important is people that participate are not only growing stellar ‘staches, but also are contributing in helping find a cure for
prostate cancer through research,” the first-year STU student said.
He also feels like the moustache fad has come back in full-force and it doesn’t matter what style you’re sporting.
“The moustache fad comes and goes,” he said. “It seems to me, when some people grow a moustache it just sticks, literally and figuratively.”
Munn has been featured on STUSAC’s Movember Wall of Fame, where each week a photo is taken of each participant’s moustache progress. The wall
is featured in the Sir James Dunn Hall cafeteria.
Munn’s been doing very well, fashioning what he calls a “handlebar.”
“The style I had previously was named by a friend as the “Tommie T,” but now I just have a handlebar, wax and all,” he said.
People must be 19 years or older to attend STU’s gala. It will feature a DJ, drink specials and prizes for the best moustache. Tickets are $10 and will be sold at the door with all proceeds going to the Movember Foundation for prostate cancer research.
The Movember Foundation was founded in 2003 in Australia. Since then, the moustache has made its way around the world. Movember began in Canada in 2007.
Since its beginning, Movember has inspired 1.1 million “mo-bros” to participate.
Munn said he doesn’t mind growing a moustache for a good cause at all.
“It does get itchy quite a bit though,” he said. “The ‘stache does seem to catch the eye of people passing by.”
