So, November is here once again, it’s that time of year when you’ll see a lot of beards- fluffy, shaggy and curly – beards of all sorts popping out here and there on the faces that remain quite clean for the rest of the year! As you can already guess I’m talking about “No-Shave November” guys! So what is this new craze all about? I think we can safely call it “new”, because this trend has gained this much popularity in the recent years.
What is No-Shave November? It certainly is more than just an excuse for lazy guys to avoid shaving for a month. The official No-Shave November website says “No-Shave November is a month-long journey during which participants forgo shaving and grooming in order to evoke conversation and raise cancer awareness.” Now, I know what you’re thinking, how exactly did cancer awareness come into the play, right? Bear with me, I am going to make everything clear to you. No-Shave November as their website says, is a web-based non-profit organization devoted to growing cancer awareness. They are raising funds to support cancer prevention in a unique way. They are encouraging people all over the world to give up shaving for one month and embrace the hair that many cancer patients lose, and to donate the money they would have otherwise spent on shaving to support the cause. How it all started? No-Shave November, without being tied to cancer prevention, had been a tradition for many years. Then in the year 2009, the Hill family from the suburbs of Chicago used it as a means to raise money for cancer research. The 8 Hill siblings lost their father Mathew Hill in November 2007, who passed away after fighting an 18 month long battle with colon cancer. Rebecca Hill, the oldest of the siblings and her friend Bret Rangdahl launched the No-Shave November campaign in the fall of 2009. It started out as a Facebook page. There were less than 50 participants in its first year. It started gaining momentum and more popularity with every passing year and in 2014 American Cancer Society partnered with them. Besides American Cancer Society they are now working with other organizations also, like Prevent Cancer Foundation, Fight Colorectal Cancer and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (A big round of applause for No-Shave November!)
So basically some the people who are growing a beard this month are doing it just for fun and to some, No-Shave November is an excuse to skip shaving, while the rest are doing it for a noble cause. If you too want to support this cause you may participate by officially registering on https://no-shave.org/. The rules are very simple: Just do not shave for 30 days and at the end of the month donate the money you have saved from it to the cause. And if your workplace has a strict dress code, fret not, grooming and trimming are totally acceptable. Also, if you don’t want to commit to shagginess for a month, or if you cannot grow a beard but still want to support their cause you can buy their merchandise from the website, they have got shirts and bracelets that promote the movement of No-Shave November.
And this is to girls and women, you can urge the men you have in your life to put down the razor for one month. A beard for a change will not be a bad thing. Aside from that, women can take part in this campaign too. All you have to do is to let the hair grow on your legs for a month and avoid waxing. It is almost halfway through November. So the next shaving day is about a fortnight away from now. If you couldn’t do it this year, but you’re willing, don’t worry November will be back next year again. Or you can just stop shaving now and let your fur grow wildly for the rest of the month.
image courtesy: facebook.com/noshavenov
Carry on
Carry on