In honor of raising awareness for Men’s Health and No Shave November, we thought we would share some history and fun facts about mustaches we found on Movember.com and how No Shave November came about!
Here at Happily Connnected, we strive to educate as well as inspire. Although today’s blog isn’t about weddings or events, it is about something very important – Men’s Health. Most of us have a special man in our life whether it be a significant other, husband, father, brother or just a very good friend who we would like to have in our lives for a very long time!
Movember unofficially began in 2003, two mates from Melbourne, Australia (Travis Garone and Luke Slattery) were having a quiet beer at the Gypsy Bar in Fitzroy when their conversation turned to recurring fashion trends. The moustache, a fixture in past decades, was nowhere to be seen in recent trends. They joked about bringing it back.
The two friends decided to talk their mates into growing a Mo. Inspired by a friend’s mother who was fundraising for breast cancer, they decided to make the campaign about men’s health and prostate cancer. They designed the rules of Movember (which are still in place today) and agreed to charge ten dollars to grow a Mo. Trav designed the first Movember logo, and they sent around an email titled ‘Are you man enough to be my man?’ They found 30 guys willing to take up the challenge.
Those first 30 Mo Bros grew their moustaches with such enthusiasm that in 2004 a decision was made to formalise the concept and get all participants growing for a cause. Adam Garone stepped up to help take Movember to the next level, registered a company and created a website. Justin Coghlan (JC) came on board to run the campaign interstate. Click here to read the rest of the history and how you can help support this organization.
MO History
Origins of the Mo
The moustache evolved from a roughly cut block of hair in prehistoric times into the genuine work of art it is today.
Theoretically possible since flint razors were first fashioned around 30,000 B.C, it’s unknown who first sported upper-lip topiary. What is known is that the oldest portrait of a shaved man with a moustache is an ancient Iranian horseman from 300 BC.
What a Mo can mean
Over the course of history, men with facial hair have been credited with attributes including wisdom, sexual virility, masculinity, and technical proficiency in all things.
Equally, the moustache has fallen on less illustrious times, a result of being sported by some notorious dictators.
The modern Mo
The moustache has proven its resilience. Just when it seemed that it would be hung in the dusty mop cupboard of history, a cultural revolution swung the pendulum back, ushering in a new day for moustaches.
Long live the Mo.
Mo Facts
Albert Einstein had a moustache for over 50 years.
The world’s longest moustache is believed to be a 14ft monster belonging to Ram Singh Chauhan of Rajastan, India, who regularly massages it with mustard and coconut oil to keep it healthy.
In 1967, The Beatles gave away cardboard moustaches with their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Police in a district in India’s Madhya Pradesh state are being paid to grow moustaches because bosses believe it makes them command more respect.
A one-month-old moustache is capable of holding approximately 30ml of liquid or around 10% of a glass of beer before leaking its contents down the face of the owner.
Salvador Dalí published a book dedicated solely to his moustache.
The average human hair grows at a rate of 0.014 inches a day, or about 5 to 6 inches a year.
There are between 10,000 and 20,000 hairs on a man’s face.
Men with moustaches are more attractive. Fact.
Photo Credit: Wilde Company
Photo Credit: Twila’s Photography
Photo Credit: Ivory Door Studio
Photo Credit: Rebecca Vaughan Photography
We’d Love to know – Would you grow a Mo for this cause?
Feature Photo Credit: Movember