The month of November marks the waning days of fall , Thanksgiving break, and Libertyville students boasting scraggly, splotchy, and sometimes downright ugly beards. The month of “Movember, a combination of the words moustache and November, also known as No-Shave November, is in full swing, and the scruff on the students of LHS is getting thicker by the day. Despite all the itchiness and lack of visual appeal these beards present, it’s definitely worth it to let the facial hair rip in Movember.
The first idea for Movember was presented ten years ago by a few Australian twentysomethings who wanted a creative way to raise funds. Originally, the purpose was for family and friends to sponsor the men’s beards, generating money to go towards research for men’s health disorders like testicular and prostate cancer, according to the official website, http://us.movember.com. In the span of a decade, Movember has spread across the globe faster than whiskers spread across Hunter Van Wagner’s face (see Q&A below). In an effort to honor the best moustaches and beards across the world, there is even an annual “Moscars” award show at the start of December.
Students at LHS have adopted Movember, even though many don’t know why they’re letting their greasy goatees cover their face. If you let your beard flourish, you’re actually supporting an admirable cause. Even without raising funds, participants of Movember are raising awareness for the men’s health that Movember was originally invented for.
Movember is more than just a fundraiser, however. It’s a chance for us guys to prove to everyone at LHS just how far we’ve come. For me, middle school was a three-year struggle to establish myself as a man. In all reality, I was just a scrawny, follically challenged pre-teen. I stared longingly at my dad’s pristine Gillette razor, waiting for the day when I would actually need it.
Even though my current beard is like most Movember participants at LHS — patchy, verging on scummy — it’s the fact that I can muster up any facial hair at all that counts. So when November rolls around in 2014, tuck the shaving cream and razor away until after Thanksgiving. Whether it be to support a good cause or flaunt your testosterone levels, it’s worth it to man up for Movember.
Q & A with senior Hunter Van Wagner, the most heralded beard sporter in the school and facial hair enthusiast.
RJ: Is Movember something you look forward to all year?
HV: I always look forward to growing my beard. But November is definitely a highlight for my face. With shaving for baseball and my mother making me shave a lot, this is the time of year I can just let it flow.
RJ: What year did you start participating in Movember?
HV: Officially I started freshman year, and have felt offended that I haven’t been recognized until now. But unofficially, I’ve been leading the charge since 6th grade. These burns came in hot even back then. I’m what you call an “early bloomer.”
RJ: What’s your favorite part about it?
HV: The leftover food I can munch on that gets stuck, having something to play with all the time, but number 1 is all the love I get from the ladies. There’s always a couple looking for a man to keep (them) warm at this part of the year.
RJ: How would you rank your beard compared to other LHS students, and what makes it stand out?
HV: Why my beard is the best is a question I can’t answer completely. It’s a visual/feeling thing. You gotta see and feel how thick and burly it is. I recommend you ask me to feel it, of course I may deny you if you got Cheeto fingers, but I’m pretty okay with it.
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