It’s Movember. I’m Naked. Please Get Checked.

It’s officially Movember, a now annual awareness takeover of the month of November by participating men everywhere who wish to raise awareness among men (and those who care about them) about prostate health and prostate cancer. Movember helps people spread the word that prostate cancer will kill 32,000 men in 2010 alone; that typically lazy or ignorant men (like me) need to be proactive about prostate health and ask their doctor for an examination. And that we need to share the concern and threat of prostate cancer to other men who may not know what Movember is.

The concept of Movember is that men everywhere are encouraged to grow a mustache to show their support of the movement, spread awareness of prostate cancer and raise money for cancer research. When their friends or co-workers drop the “porn stache” reference or ask what’s up with the lip carpet, they can respond with, “Funny, but it’s actually serious. It’s my effort to remind you and others to get your prostate checked, bro.”

My buddy Aaron Perlut, who masquerades as Dr. Aaron Perlut, president of the American Mustache Institute, dared me to join his team and get involved this year after I told him I hesitated to shave my goatee, which I’ve kept in tact since around 2001. I’ve donated before and am happy to share links, spread the word, etc., but my facial hair is my look. This year, though, I thought better of it and figured the cause is more important than my silly vanity.

So I’m clean shaven today for the first time in a decade. I’ll grow what I call the “Perlut” (seen below) for the month of November to keep with the theme (and because it’s more bad ass than the goatee), then let the chin music fill in for the holidays.

But I also want to help raise money for prostate cancer research, so I’ve joined the American Mustache Institute’s Movember team. You can check out my profile page and be a part of it by donating to the cause on my profile page. Ultimately, I’d like to raise a bunch more money than Perlut so I can tell him to shut it, but also because it’s all going for a good cause.

Help me out with a five-spot or whatever you can spare. It’s important than we not only make people aware, but drive action, too. So donate and tell your fathers, brothers, uncles, sons and other male friends and loved ones it’s time to get checked.

It’s the least you can do in exchange for seeing my baby face.

The before shot.		The Perlut. Bad ass.
The porn stache.		The “Mo”

Related articles

• Fight Prostate Cancer by Growing a Mustache: The 2010 Movember Contest (artofmanliness.com)
• Movember Grows More Than Just Mustaches (compete.com)
• Every Mustache makes a difference! (areweconnected.com)