Say Goodbye to the Mouth Brow.

If you’ve managed to drag your eyes away from your work for more than 5 minutes this term, you’ll have noticed the increasing number of moustaches warming the upper lips of Durham’s male population. And as the month ends, so will the need for men to sport the mouth brow.

Movember raises funds for and draws attention to critical male health issues, particularly prostate cancer, so there is actually a good reason for men to put their vanity aside and embrace the ‘tache, however crazy it may look. As it’s for a good cause, girls can turn a blind eye for the 4 weeks of the year, but it’s safe to say that we won’t be sad to welcome the return of the clean upper lip. Unfortunately, a new idea is in the pipeline, which may upset the females of Durham. Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe Decembeard is upon is.

Patrick Briggs, a Movember survivor, shares his story, as he was somewhat forced into the moustache-growing business by some friends of his, after they’d seen his year abroad ‘Erasmustache’ and decided that it should become a semi-permanent feature. Unfortunately for Patrick, his Movember efforts were not so much appreciated by the ladies; the lads however were massive fans, and he was even given the nod of approval whilst simply roaming the streets. Patrick explained that he “considered shaving off the whole thing before embarking on his recent Jailbreak adventures (moustaches don't generally scream "Let me in your car, I'm sane!")” but after a slight trim (the ‘tache was turning ginger, and that just wouldn’t do!), off he went. A trip to Bavaria, however, put Patrick’s mouth brow to shame, as “the locals’ walrus ‘taches” made his feel somewhat inadequate. Patrick admits that he hasn’t yet been able to shave the ‘tache off, he claims “it’s growing on me! (b’dum chhhh)” and is even considering a Decembeard. We look forward to seeing that one!

So we congratulate the men of Durham on their valiant efforts, their impressive lip rugs and the amount of money they’ve raised, however big or small. St. John’s College definitely deserve a mention as they’ve raised over £850!

And so as we bid farewell to Movember, we wait with baited breath for the arrival of the Decembeards. But boys, we warn you, don’t expect to be approached under the mistletoe come Christmas Day!