Kingston University students have grown out their facial hair for Movember, in order to raise awareness for male-focused health issues.
Movember is the leading charity in changing the face of men’s mental health and after its start up in 2003 from four friends outside a pub in Australia, it has funded thousands of men’s health projects around the world and raised just under £600 million.
First-year Kingston University student Cameron Berry has been growing his moustache out the last couple of years.
“I continue to support Movember, I even raised £60 for the charity two years ago,” he said.
For Berry, growing out his moustache isn’t just to raise awareness for Movember, but a fundamental signifier of his identity.
After a trip to Italy, Berry saw a gay couple who had moustaches and decided to adopt their style.
Berry said: “I now decide to grow my moustache because I want to better fit into the LGBTQ+ community and embrace a queerer aesthetic.”
Meanwhile, others have raised staggering amounts during Movember – and seen the fundraiser help bolster their wellbeing.
Stuart Coughlan used to grow a moustache for fun at university, before joining Movember as their Sports Ambassador in 2020 after his own personal challenges. “In the pandemic, we knew a lot of people were struggling and that year on behalf of my old rugby club, we raised over £10,000,” he said.
In partnership with his old rugby club, Old Suttonians, Coughlan and his teammates would regularly check up on each other with a simple “how are you” to break the awkward barrier that some men find when discussing their feelings.
As a sports ambassador, Coughlan is the bridge between the charity and other sport’s organisations in which men can improve their mental health through exercise.
“In a team sport it is quite easy to see when someone isn’t feeling quite right.” He continued to say that there are recognisable signs such as people can seem “disengaged in the game” or some people take a “kamikaze approach and act recklessly on the pitch”.
Growing a moustache can be quite comedic for some, but it also has another purpose in being a conversation starter with other men growing their moustache out.
“Someone walked up to me the other day and complemented my moustache, so it’s a really great way to start talking to each other… Everyone think’s when talking about mental health it has to be really serious conversation, but sometimes it doesn’t have to be,” Coughlan said.
If anyone wants to donate to the Movember charity, they can donate at uk.movember.com or use Stuart Coughlan’s link below.
