Every November, my upper lip becomes a talking point. My kids find it hilarious, my wife refuses to kiss me for about three weeks, and colleagues start making jokes about 80s TV detectives. But there’s a reason for it. Like millions of others across the world, I take part in Movember — that time of year when men grow a moustache to raise awareness and funds for men’s health. I’ve been doing it for a decade.
What began for me as a bit of light-hearted fundraising has become something I genuinely look forward to each year. Not because I enjoy looking like I’ve wandered out of a Police reunion tour, but because Movember has a real impact — and understanding the Movember meaning makes all the difference, so let’s start there.
The Movember Meaning
At face value, Movember is a play on words: ‘Mo’ is slang for moustache, and the event takes place in November. Hence, Mo-vember. But the Movember meaning goes well beyond a quirky charity trend. It’s about normalising self-care, especially among men who spend most of their time looking after everyone else.
When I became a dad, I suddenly understood how easy it is to put your own wellbeing on the back burner. Doctor’s appointments get delayed. Gym sessions are swapped for soft play. Mental health? You tell yourself you’ll deal with it later — after the kids are asleep, after work slows down, after life feels less hectic. But “later” rarely comes.
That’s why I’ve grown a moustache every year since my eldest was born. It’s a reminder that I can’t look after my family properly if I’m running myself into the ground. It’s also a subtle cue to my mates — the ones juggling the same mix of work, parenting, and quiet pressure — that we need to take these things seriously.
Every year, Movember reminds me to book my own health checks. I’ve had awkward but important chats with friends about mental health and loss, sparked entirely by the fact that my face looks like I’ve borrowed someone else’s upper lip. That’s exactly how Movember works — by turning something small into a bigger conversation.
The Movember Rules are Simple
For anyone tempted to join in this year, the Movember rules are staggeringly simple. The official ones are: you start clean-shaven on the first of November, grow and groom your moustache throughout the month, and resist the urge to cheat with a beard, goatee, or sideburn connection. It’s all about the ’tache — nothing more, nothing less.
When I first heard about this years ago, I thought it sounded a bit daft. Why all the fuss about facial hair? But that’s exactly the point. The moustache is meant to stand out. It invites questions, sparks conversations, and gets people talking about topics most men still find difficult to approach — like prostate checks, testicular cancer, and mental health.
That’s the genius of Movember. It uses humour and curiosity to break through the usual wall of silence around men’s health issues. In a world where blokes will happily discuss their fantasy football team or car insurance but go mute about anxiety or physical symptoms, that’s no small thing.
The Movember Foundation And What It Actually Does
This is all about awareness, but it is a charity fundraiser as well. So you might be wondering where the money goes? The answer lies with the Movember Foundation, which is the charity behind the movement. Founded in Australia in 2003, it has grown into a global organisation funding research and programmes tackling prostate and testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention.
In the UK, Movember partners with major organisations including the NHS and Mind, focusing on early intervention and community-led projects. They’ve funded everything from new mental health resources for fathers to improved cancer screening awareness. According to the Movember Foundation’s own figures, they’ve helped fund over 1,250 men’s health projects worldwide since launching.
That scale is impressive, but what really resonates with me is how local it feels. You see people in your own community joining in — dads at the school gate comparing moustaches, people at work forming teams, mates supporting each other through fundraising pages. It may be an Australian initiative, but there’s something genuinely unifying about Movember UK scene, where the focus often lands on mental wellbeing as much as physical health.
The Tough Stuff We Don’t Talk About Enough
Movember also shines a light on the uncomfortable truths we still don’t talk about enough. Suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK. One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Testicular cancer, though highly treatable, still affects younger men in their 20s and 30s — precisely the group least likely to go to the doctor.
It’s sobering to think that so much of this could be improved by earlier conversations and routine checks. The Movember movement doesn’t solve these issues on its own, but it pushes them into the open — where awareness can actually save lives.
For dads, that message hits differently. We tell our kids to be brave, to ask for help, to share their feelings — yet we often fail to do the same ourselves. Movember reminds me that strength isn’t about ignoring problems; it’s about tackling them head-on, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Growing More Than A Moustache
I’ll admit, the first few days of Movember are the worst. The moustache looks patchy, your face itches constantly, and you feel ridiculous. But by week two, something changes. The jokes start to fade, the conversations start to deepen, and you realise it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to — opening doors to talk about men’s health.
Over the years, I’ve had friends share that they’ve gone for check-ups because of a Movember chat. One even discovered an issue early enough to get treatment. Those moments make every awkward selfie and scratchy morning worth it.
And if you’re thinking about joining in this year, just do it. Follow the Movember rules, set up a fundraising page through the Movember Foundation, and get a few friends or colleagues involved. It doesn’t have to be perfect — in fact, the messier the moustache, the better the talking point.
If growing facial hair really isn’t your thing, you can still support the cause. Movember now runs “Move for Movember,” encouraging people to run or walk 60 kilometres during the month — one kilometre for each man lost to suicide every hour around the world. You can also host a “Mo-ment,” like a quiz or barbecue, to raise funds and awareness in your own way.
Every year, when I finally shave off the moustache at the end of November, there’s a sense of relief — but also pride. It’s a small, slightly scruffy reminder that I’ve done something that matters.
Fatherhood changes how you view your own health. You stop thinking about yourself in isolation and start realising how much the people around you depend on you being okay. Movember taps into that perfectly. It’s funny, yes. It’s slightly embarrassing, sure. But it’s also meaningful, community-driven, and — for dads especially — necessary.