Ignore the upcoming festivities… please.
As November fast approaches we are moving on from our talk of Halloween parties, costumes and decorations. Those talks have been replaced by the discussions of the upcoming frenzy that is No Shave November. When I walk down the halls of Bellevue College all I hear is talk of the upcoming “festivities” and every time I cringe.
During the month of November both men and women can decide to stow away their razors and pledge to abstain from shaving for the entirety of the 30-day month. The ideas behind this vow of hairiness are to raise awareness and bring funds into charitable organizations.
Through the “Movember” movement, if you register to be a Mo-bro or a Mo-sista you raise awareness, as well as research funds, for male health challenges such as testicular and prostate cancer.
The “Noshember” organization although raising awareness for a handful of cancer and multiple sclerosis associations is dedicated more toward the fun of being scruffy, unkempt and rough.
Although there is some logic and charitable recognition behind the month of “Noshember” or “Movember,” as they call it, but we must ask ourselves; when is it for charity and when is it just being lazy?
Shaving, as it should be, is basic hygiene. Whatever part of the body it is regarding. When I first heard of the No-Shave November craze I disregarded it completely thinking no one in their right mind would be so invested in not shaving for a whole month. That is of course until I came into class last year mid-way through the month to find more than half the men sporting the latest of the hairy fashion.
The kicker; women were doing it too! I am aware that we are all busy and at times are not able to give our personal hygiene the attention it deserves. But there is a big fat charcoal black line where indolence outdoes busyness. And yet, we are allowing a whole month to celebrate it.
Even if we are not talking about the hygienic reasons to shave or trim, women most definitely like a cleanly shaven man. I understand that growing up, finding the first chest hair was a moment of pride for a boy, but a long beard and an outburst of patchy facial hair does not a man make.
And for all of you with a Freudian complex, a full beard does not make you look intelligent.
And let’s not forget that keeping a beard means upkeep, and a lot of it. Could you imagine all the food that could potentially get stuck in a disheveled beard? And for most of the men out there, a beard will most likely grow in patchy and from what I hear, it will be uncomfortably itchy.
However my opinion, whether or not a person decides to shave it is a personal choice. But for the sake of my sanity, when you carve the turkey this coming Thanksgiving, let’s do it cleanly shaven-both men and women.