November is referred to as No-Fun November among the law school circuits. For law students it’s an entire month of around-the-clock studying.
You can’t remember the last time you were on the Square other than to get a triple shot of espresso from High Point because their Jackson Avenue location is already closed for the night. Whether you go home to see loved ones for Thanksgiving is determined by how far you have to travel, how front-loaded your exam schedule is and whether or not there is a book-on-tape study guide.
A well thought-out, nutritious meal is forgone for whatever you can grab or, for the last-minute crammer, a mixture of study-enhancing pharmaceuticals and caffeine. As one of my friends once put it, “scurvy might actually be a concern at this point.”
There is, however, one silver lining to November: the beards. Whether a result of streamlining their grooming routine to maximize study time, growing a personal face-blanket in preparation for spending the whole Christmas break in the woods hunting or joining the “Movember” movement, I thoroughly appreciate the efforts of my fellow man in their bearded endeavors.
Actual “Movember” is more than just something to give the ladies to ogle. It’s also a good cause in the name of men’s health. In 2003, a group of men in Australia got together and decided to raise money and awareness for men’s health by growing mustaches. In just a decade, Movember has spread to become a top 100 NGO charity. In 2012, the Movember movement raised over $147 million for prostate and testicular cancer, as well as mental challenges such as depression and alcoholism. Many celebrities such as Nick Offerman, who is better known as Ron Swanson from “Parks and Recreation,” have publicly endorsed the movement.
Men’s health has been a relatively quiet issue but certainly not lacking in importance. Men, on average, live five years fewer than their female counterparts. In the U.S., 50 percent of men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, with one in six being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Mental health is also an important aspect of overall men’s health, with men being over four times as likely as women to commit suicide. Despite these harrowing statistics, you never hear much about men’s health, let alone hear of organizations raising money for its research and awareness.
One of the reasons is that men tend to not go to the doctor or address their own health issues. In fact, men are 24 percent less likely to go to a doctor. The genius behind Movember is that it couples something incredibly manly — being able to lord your masculinity over your peers by way of a Burt Reynolds mustache — with something that most men shy away from discussing: their health and potential health risks.
So, thank you, Movember movement, for not only providing me with masculine eye candy to brighten my No-Fun November, but also ensuring that the guys in my life will be healthy, happy and around for the long haul. Bring on the beards!
Information on how to join the Movember movement and more statistics regarding men’s health can be found at us.movember.com.
Anna Rush is a law student from Hattiesburg. She graduated from Mississippi State University in 2011.
