Movember: Growing Moustaches to Raise Cancer Awareness

Dec. 1, 2009— -- Today, men all around the world participating in Movember can shave their moustaches in solidarity.

Men participating in "Movember" grew moustaches -- or "mo's" in Australia -- for the entire month of November to raise money and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate and testicular cancer.

The unique charity was founded in 2003 in Australia. Aussie Adam Garone was joking with his friends one day that they should bring back the moustache as a fashion icon. They decided they would grow moustaches for the month of November, and rename November "Movember."

"We all got so much grief that year that I said to the guys, 'We need to legitimize this so we can get away with it,'" Garone said.

Garone said that since some of his friends' fathers were affected by prostate cancer, they decided to dedicate their month-long moustaches to cancers affecting men.

"We thought, let's use the moustache as our hairy ribbon to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer," Garone said in an interview with ABC News.

Garone said men participating in Movember are likely to pre-empt people's "weird looks" by explaining they were participating in an awareness and fundraiser for cancer prevention.

"The moustache opens up all these amazing conversations about our health and cancers that affect us," Garone said.

Garone brought Movember to the U.S. in 2006, where it's catching on with some younger American men.

New York native Michael Mattis, 34, is a first-time participant in Movember. He took part because a friend got him into it.

"I found out about it through a friend, and as I read up on it, I thought it would be a worthy cause to lend your time to -- and my facial hair and moustache," Mattis said.

He also said his father had dealt with prostate issues, and that also made him want to join the cause.

"As a man, I have to worry about stuff like this down the line, and if there's ways prostate and testicular cancer can be prevented, I'm all for it," he said. He and his five other team members raised $605.