No-Shave November has become increasingly popular in the last couple of years. However, many are still unaware of the reason that led to the creation of this campaign. Here’s the story behind this unique concept.
No-Shave November appears to be a trend to grow a beard and compete with friends to see who has a larger beard. Naturally, the ones who aren’t able to grow one suffer a lot of insults and become the subject of jokes among friends. However, No-Shave November stands for something much bigger and purposeful. Let’s know what it is actually about.
It is an awareness campaign for different types of cancers, including prostate cancer. The basic idea behind the campaign is that men who support the cause won’t shave or clip their hair or beard for the entire month. The money they save from not using it up in shaving their hair should be donated to cancer patients instead. Call it bizarre or call it unique, it is definitely a creative idea to support a noble cause.
No-Shave November started in 2009 after a father in Chicago passed away due to colon cancer. He had eight sons and daughters in total who started this campaign. Over the past eight years, the campaign has gained a lot of popularity, but the real significance is lost somewhere. This campaign has a couple of unique health benefits as well. As per various reports, a beard is a natural toxin filter which keeps dust from getting into our lungs. Beards can also help in preventing blemishes.
Many people confuse this campaign with another similar campaign called “Movember”. Movember is another awareness campaign which started in Australia in 2003. However, this campaign deals with not clipping off the moustache only. It has nothing to do with the sideburns.
It is a pity that such a great cause has lost its meaning and has ended up becoming a trend of hashtags and memes. People don’t even know why they do it. The apparently “trendy” population over the internet just sees this campaign as an opportunity to look cool and stay updated with the latest style. This highlights the dumbing down of people that the internet has caused. It is important that the internet users understand what they see so that great campaigns like No-Shave November don’t fall prey to the “cooler” side of the internet.
Karan Singhania
Feature Image Credits: Dreams Time