We are two whole weeks into No-Shave November. It is that exciting time of the year again, when guys all across the country drop their razors for an entire month.
No-Shave November is the month-long journey in which men give up shaving with a goal to spread cancer awareness. By embracing the hair which many cancer patients loose and letting it grow wild and free, young men intent to donate the money that they typically spent on shaving and grooming to save lives and aid those who are fighting against cancer.
For men, beards are awesomeness escaping through their face. Beard enthusiasts are celebrating the month in various ways. They participate in many events such as ‘Beard Rides’ and ‘National Beard Championship’ and also do services such as donating blood and charities for the needy. However, No-Shave November started with a sad story back in 2009, when the members of the Hill family in Chicago decided to use this as a means to raise money for charity. A few young men in Melbourne, Australia, coined the term in 1999, but it took a step further when the children of Matthew Hill, who died from colon cancer in November, 2007, used the cause to raise money for charity.
The rules of No-Shave November are simple; forget your razor for one month and donate your monthly hair grooming expenses. Grow, grow, grow that facial hair and resist the urge to shave. The main goal is not to let the beards grow crazy, but to raise awareness for different types of cancers including prostate cancer. Some men view it as a competition to see who grows the best beards and others do it to truly support the cause.
“There is always a time when a man with beard shaves it off, but he always comes back to his beards,” says Anvin. For Ryan, “‘Thadi’ is nothing less than an emotion”. The ‘beardos’ being exceptional among regular dudes, always get special attention wherever they go. “Society sees them with fear and often thinks of them as drug users and dangerous. Men with full long beards are seen as useless and irresponsible,” says Shobith Prasanth, founder and president of the Kerala Beard Club (KBC). He gathered people all around the vicinity of the Gods Own Country around a chair to begin this union of bearded brothers as a family. KBC started from helping a child for her kidney surgery. They had a massive programme of launching an official T-shirt of the club, followed by a day spent together with abandoned parents. They also fought against drugs in the form of an anti-drug awareness rally and have district-based blood donation teams. KBC has never been after fame; social commitment drives them.
Along with their goals, youngsters are also trying on the new trends. This year ‘nadan thadi’ is back; it is simple as well as easy to maintain. There are also cool beardos who go for colouring their beards. The ‘five o’ clock shadow’ became popular in the 80s and still hasn’t dropped out of trend. The ‘long hipster beard’ is probably the hottest trend in 2018 although it requires high maintenance. This style is worth trying for and gives one a very rough look.
