By Jocelyn Wong
November is Men’s Health Awareness Month. You have probably heard of the term “Movember,” hence why you clicked this article. This term was coined in 2003 by Travis Garone and Luke Slattery, combining the words mustache and November. Since then, Movember has been used as a catalyst to raise awareness of both men’s physical and mental health. The mustache is a “fun twist on a serious issue,” says the official Movember site. It is used as a symbol to address prostate and testicular cancer, men’s mental health and men’s suicide.
Stigma around mental health has been ever present, regardless of gender. However men’s mental health has always been overlooked. The same thing goes for men’s suicide, which comes hand-in-hand with their mental health. The Movember charity frequently provides tips on when and how to take action on improving men’s mental health and on suicide prevention.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men around the world. Movember aids in raising awareness to this medical disease, supporting men who struggle with this cancer. Furthermore, Movember raises awareness to other common cancers found specifically in men such as testicular cancer, allowing for early detection of these illnesses and thus, a quicker and healthier recovery.
Here are some ways to show support towards “Movember”!
- Grow out your mustache through the month of November.
- Donate to the Movember charity, where they fund world class programs that spread awareness and provide services to improve the lives of men, at https://ca.movember.com/donate.
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