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Today kicks off the the month formerly known as November, at least to the men who participate in Movember, growing facial hair in order to raise awareness (and money) for a plethora of men's health causes. You may wonder what this has to do with women, the sex who usually has problems growing anything beyond peach fuzz. But women absolutely have everything to do with Movember, much in the same way men support our efforts to raise awareness for women's health causes in various months.
Laid-Off Dad, otherwise known as Doug French, is organizing male bloggers to participate in the month-long event with the hope to raise money for the Livestrong foundation. It's harnessing social media for social good, and using the Internet as a grassroots approach to disseminating health information while also rallying the troops to raise some serious cash for a good cause.
Female bloggers, of course, are needed to help in the cause too. As French says, "Women support the effort by helping recruit men -- Jon Armstrong (husband of Heather Armstrong) and Marz Jennings (husband of Karen Walrond), among others, are on our team -- as well as donate, rally support, and promote the fund-raising effort."
So what can you do beyond begging the men in your life -- husbands, partners, brothers, fathers, friends -- to grow some facial hair for a good cause? You can blog about it, encouraging other bloggers to join along with French's team. Tweet it, Facebook it, post pictures of the moustache growing on Flickr -- in other words, harness the power of the Internet to do some serious good. French says, "Bloggers are in their unique position because they can spread the word virally and connect many people aligned with the same goal."
French's hirsute dream team consists of a plethora of celebrities and... YOU. On his list:
When it comes to top ten growers, I aim high. Go big or go home, right? The best guys are those who are on TV every day. Any of the late-night hosts, for example, would be fantastic, although I think Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert would probably mobilize the Web best. The other eight?Barack ObamaGeorge Clooney / Brad PittAshton Kutcher
Brian Williams
Wil WheatonJustin TimberlakeP. DiddyTom Brady / Peyton Manning
While there may be little chance of seeing Barack Obama with a handlebar moustache, certainly all male bloggers can join in the project. And if you do, we'd love you to leave a link in the comment section below so we can follow your hair-growing progress, cheer you on, and hopefully learn something more about men's health issues.
Melissa writes Stirrup Queens and Lost and Found. Her novel about blogging is Life from Scratch.
