The month of November is famous for its No Shave November and Movember movements. The ethos functions around growing facial hair for a full month to raise awareness regarding men’s health issues, especially for testicular and prostrate cancers.
What’s cool is how all the men have adapted this trend, be it facial hair, beards or mustaches. The city saw many such events come to the fore — bike parades like Gentlemans Ride, and No Shave charities, etc this November.
A bit of history first. The first No Shave November charity event was initiated by the children of Mathew Hill, who died from Colon cancer. The charity was to help victims of several kinds of cancer, regardless of age or gender. The goal was to increase awareness through growing facial hair, which many cancer patients battle with. People also donated money that was usually spent on grooming moustaches or beards, which was used to educate the public on cancer prevention and help people suffering from it.
“Movember” was another similar event, that celebrated the whole romance of growing and grooming a mustache. The city’s men folk have taken to these movements across ages. And some of the city’s bearded share their views.
Organisations like the Bharat Beard Club have initiated events in India which focus on spreading awareness on the importance of men’s health and charity drives. Their much-acclaimed Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride was held in five cities across India two years in a row. They also conduct Beardthons, a marathon to raise awareness on men’s lifestyle, and the Beard and Mustache competition, the only national level competition of its kind in the country. There were other events like Stache-Bash (beard and mustache competition) that aimed at raising awareness about Cancer. All these events were a meeting ground for beard enthusiasts, and other like-minded people to share their thoughts on the physical well-being of men, and grooming as well.
“Men in our society have a lot of bad habits — smoking, chewing paan, etc. Through events like this, we aim to bring about a gradual and overall social change,” says Vishal Singh, founder of the Bharat Beard Club.
Facial hair has also been associated with a lot of health benefits. According to Vishal, its primary function is to protecting the pores of the skin from pollution. “Fully grown beards can protect the skin from extreme sun exposure,” agrees Dr Nirupama Parwanda, a skin specialist based in Delhi.
The trend of growing facial hair is also breaks social barriers. “Colonial influence has spread a notion of the appropriation of a clean shaven face. This is completely wrong, and when a person does sport a beard, it can challenge this thought,” Vishal adds.
Grooming and self care might have been a woman’s prerogative, but the realisation that grooming for men is important, has helped shift such mindsets. “Gone are the days when being unkempt, and showing you could drink or lift weights was a sign of masculinity. For the modern gentleman, image and style appears to be just as important to his sense of manliness,” says Karron S Dhinggra, an online model and artist.
The growing market of cosmetic and beauty products for men has also contributed to raising awareness on personal grooming. “Today’s men are suave and sophisticated. They understand the importance of grooming as it boosts one’s confidence and makes them more focused, determined and result-oriented,” says Karron. Now, that beards and mustaches have taken on an all-encompassing identity, the trend is only going to get bigger. And raising awareness or helping a charity, can only be a positive affirmation.
— Jones Biju
