For those who are unaware, Movember is an annual event in which, for the month of November, participants will grow mustaches in order to raise awareness for men related health issues, such as testicular and prostate cancer, and the high levels of male suicide.

By raising awareness, the event looks to increase early cancer detection, fund and support in the development of effective treatments and diagnostic tools, and to facilitate in the reduction of preventable deaths.

The simple task of growing a mustache can help in raising awareness by first starting a conversation. It may not seem like much, but more people knowing about ailments specific to men or those that affect men in a major way helps highlight the struggles of those afflicted.

According to https://www.cancer.org/ and the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. There are roughly 7.9 billion people on this planet, and roughly half of those are men; that means over 490 million men have the potential to be diagnosed. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer in America. This is by no means a small number, and yet prostate cancer awareness pales in comparison to others.

The gender role has also had a big impact on the mental states of many men, with a lot of men holding back their thoughts and feelings, forgoing sharing hardships and showing any sign of vulnerability, unable to stretch out a hand for help and instead shouldering all their burdens and traumas alone. It is because of thinking like this that male suicide rate is so high. According to the World Health Organization, over 700,000 commit suicide every year, and from that number 2/3 are male. Suicide can be attributed to a number of factors, such as depression, substance abuse, moments of crisis (stress, finances, relationships etc.), but why does this seemingly affect more men than women?

Whether it be from the pressures of raising a family, providing financially, being a pillar which supports and holds up those they love and care for, projecting an image of safety and stability, or struggling with the own mental stability, men shoulder their struggles in silence. A repercussion of an older time in which men were expected to be strong, silent, stoic and stable.

We live in a time where this old image of men and masculinity has changed, has modernized; however, the core of these thoughts lingers, and affects many young people’s self-image to this day. In contrast, being strong does not mean keeping your thoughts and feelings locked away, but instead sharing them with those you love and cherish, to rely on those you care for as much as they rely on you, to equally distribute the pain and sorrow along with the joy and happiness.

Movember is a powerful month to highlight the struggles many are facing, and many may face in the future, so take a little time and get to know what these struggles are; who knows, maybe this knowledge will help someone you care for one day.

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide

https://ourworldindata.org/suicide

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190313-why-more-men-kill-themselves-than-women