UNC bearded bros debut best facial hair of Movember

‘Can I take a picture of your beard?’

The beard is a controversial topic these days, as the rise of its presence in fashion and everyday wear has a direct relationship with the “hipster” movement. God, forgive me for using the word “hipster.”

To the pleasure of some and chagrin of others, it’s now that time of year when the growing of a beard is not only accepted, but encouraged – when middle and high school boys nationwide let the shadow on their upper lips roam free in attempt to join in. But few know the real reason behind the beautiful month that is “No Shave November,” or that there is another more pertinent name for it.

I recently found out the real name for this burgeoning yearly tradition – Movember. Why Movember? Because it’s for the men.

More specifically, men’s health. There is even a website for The Movember Foundation, a global charity “committed to men living happier, healthier, longer lives,” started in 2003. The first line of the site states their cause clearly: “The state of men’s health is a crisis. Simply put, men are dying too young.”

Movember is dedicated to bringing about awareness for health issues like prostate and testicular cancer, mental health and physical inactivity, in an attempt to better the state of men’s health worldwide.

In honor of the month, we talked to some men and heard what they had to say about it.

Zac Cowlan
, junior, Anthropology

“No Shave November? You mean Movember? Yeah, it’s for cancer. Man cancer.”

John Wilhoite, senior, Chinese

“In terms of health, I feel like physical appearance is more valued. There’s a focus on short term benefits – like eating a lot to get big – instead of long term. It plays into ‘masculinity’ rather than living a healthy lifestyle.”

Thomas Pope
, senior, Music Production

“The only thing I’ve heard about it was in a men’s health awareness ad – go get tested. There seems to be a stigma around getting tested.”

Aaron Varner, 
junior, American Studies and American Indian and Indigenous Studies

“I think there a lot of misconceptions about health in general – men’s and women’s. People seem to think environment has no impact. It depends on the doctor, but they’re too quick to prescribe pharmaceuticals. Health in general is dependent on your environment and being in tune with your environment.”

Kenny Emberton, junior, Psychology

“Yeah, for testicular cancer awareness. That’s not why I grow a beard though. I think nowadays women are being encouraged to become more accepting of their bodies – and that’s awesome – and that the focus for men is still on working out to get a certain body to get girls. We need to be healthier in general, rather than focus on physical appearance.”

Alexey Vasilyev
, post-grad, Computer Science

“No Shave November isn’t what it used to be.”

A few guys didn’t share their thoughts on Movember, but they still wanted to show off their sick beards.

Like Danny Kohring in my Ling 101 class.

And Davey West, a graduate student who competes in beard competitions.

Jacob Olaf is a bearded senior – and an Australian.

And finally, here’s sophomore William Gillespie – to whom I whispered, “Can I take a picture of your beard?” in Davis Library.

He said: “I would say that while it may seem goofy, it’s really important to raise awareness for men’s health issues. Men are notorious for not getting the help they need, and this can be a potentially life-saving conversation starter.”

So guys, check out the Movember Foundation and take care of yourselves. We’d like to have you around for awhile.

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