Beard tales of November

From being an unrecognised term in the city as recently as two years ago, No Shave November or ‘Movember’ now has Chennaiites under its charm, a week before the annual tradition actually begins!

The ultimate excuse to not shave is back again — and this time it is earlier than usual. Related to one of those rare rituals that men actually look forward to, the ‘No-Shave November’ or ‘Movember’, has this time gained great momentum across Namma Chennai. Many youngsters have been posting selfies sporting a beard or moustache, pledging their support for the cause of testicular/ prostate cancer. The money saved by not grooming or shaving everyday will be donated for the cause.

But are they doing it only because it’s ‘cool’ to be bearded now, and to be part of this global trend, or do they actually want to make a difference? Kamalakkan Raju, a UI/UX designer with Zoho has already started growing his beard and moustache and posted a selfie.

“This is definitely a very unique cause and moreover they have extended it to men’s mental health and fitness this year, which is not often spoken about. So, this way of creating awareness, building a dialogue is definitely effective,” he shared While Movember began in Australia in 2003, wherein men had to grow a moustache to create attention and talk about the cause, No Shave November began as a campaign on Facebook in 2009, which extended to men growing beards in addition to moustaches, and women not shaving their legs for the month. They recently tied up with the American Cancer Society.

But, how popular are grooming products for facial hair in Chennai? Vekkey Simbu, a model, said, “I use avocado and beard oils to maintain the growth. Not trimming it for a month is a tough challenge. So, this cause is like two of my favourite things in one.”

Agreeing with him is photographer Vithun Ravindra, who also took up this challenge of #NoShaveNovember for the first time. “Well, we are beard lovers and if that is somehow promoting another cause with such a great impact, then nothing like it.! It’s not very often that health concerns of men are spoken much about, so this is a great initiative and I am hoping it will raise a lot of aid this year.”

With several campaigns for women health conditions like Pink Ribbon for breast cancer awareness, Teal ribbon for ovarian, wherein many men actively participate, some women from Chennai are also actually supporting the #NoShaveNovember by not shaving their legs.

Saadiya Ali, a comedian from Chennai expressed, “Why shouldn’t women support such a campaign? When men can campaign for us, we also should be equally supportive. I don’t think it is stupid to do so. I am not shaving, waxing or threading for the whole months of November.”