Call it a ‘stache bash: Movember kicks off fight against men’s cancers

by Meg Furey of The Assignment Desk, DFW

When you see a happy handlebar, a perky pencil, or a funky fu-manchu this month, it might be for charity. (It also might not be.)

Posted by Flickr user Art Institute of Portland

Mustaches, like men, come in all shapes and sizes.

Here's to the bushy cookie dusters, the waxed curlicues, and the brave men who wear them. Mustache days are here again.

November 1 kicked off "Movember," a global movement to raise money and awareness for men’s health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancers. To participate, all a man needs to do is sign up with the Dallas Moustache network online and get his 'stache sponsored by friends and family.

Movember calls awareness to change the sometimes-stubborn attitudes men have about their health and seeks to educate men about the risks they face. Promoting awareness and supporting survivorship, Movember aims to open a dialogue to increase the odds of early detection, diagnosis, and treatment. According to Herskind, the easiest thing men can do is “get checked out.” Simple, right? Wrong. Most men are skittish about even asking for directions.

"Cancer has no rules and neither do we," said organizer Erik Herskind of Greenlight. "It effects everyone, no matter who you are; cancer doesn't care." He believes that two things men can do are get involved and get support. Herskind says the key to this movement is, surprisingly, female support. He hopes the Dallas chapter can raise $100,000.

During the month of November, there are several Dallas Moustache sponsored events to go to check out the 'stache progress. At Tuesday night's kick-off, mustaches were few and far between. Herskind himself was sporting a fledgling hairy lip. Plenty of people, men and women, wore fake black ‘staches, but there ain’t nothing like the real thing.

So boys and girls, ladies and gentleman, your local mustachioed men need support. When you see a happy handlebar, a perky pencil, or a funky fu-manchu this month, the goal is healthy men and happily ever after. Cancer’s a wicked villain, but these dudes believe mustaches can save lives.