Mobs of moustachioed men have reversed a stigma on upper-lip accessories, through battling a deadly disease every day of a month dubbed Movember.
“You don’t normally have an excuse to look ridiculous for a month,” said Movember fundraiser Paul Ney, who, along with his male colleagues at FusedLogic, has worn a handlebar moustache since the campaign began.
The retro facial hair stuck to smiling faces of Edmonton men is part of a global fundraiser aimed at conquering prostate cancer. The initiative broke records in 2008 by raising $2.8 million nationally, making it the largest charity event ever just for men.
CityTv personality Ryan Jespersen has helped lead the local fundraising crusade and attributes new awareness of the disease to the growing campaign.
“It’s a cause that’s been largely ignored. It’s something people, especially guys, don’t like to talk about,” he said. “AIDS has a red ribbon, breast cancer has a pink ribbon and this has a furry ribbon — we’re like a walking billboard.”
Organizers hope to raise $4 million this year for Prostate Cancer Canada.
According to the group, one in six men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. Over 4,000 will die from it this year.
The testing for the disease is vital, the group says, as over 90 per cent of cases are curable if detected in the early stages.
“There are guys that think they’re too tough to get a prostate exam,” Ney said. “It’s come to the point where you can suck it up and get one or potentially die from it.”
