For some men, the mustache defines who they are. For Adam Garone, he's using the mustache to change the face of men's health.
Adam Garone is the CEO and co-founder of Movember -- a charity that raises awareness and money for men's health by encouraging men to grow and maintain a mustache throughout the month of November.
"Men start November 1 clean-shaven and grow their mustache for 30 days, getting friends, family, and colleagues to donate to their Mo-growing (mustache-growing) efforts," Garone told us over email.
The idea for Movember came in 2003, when Garone's brother and a friend were chatting about past fashion trends. They wondered why the mustache hadn't come back into style.
"They decided to bring the Mo (Aussie slang for moustache) back, so that year, 30 guys, myself included, participated in the first ever Movember."
The mustache, for whatever reason, sparked a lot of conversations, and the following year, Garone and his friends turned Movember into a charitable endeavor.
- In 2003, Movember had 30 participants and raised $0 for no causes.
- In 2004, Movember got 450 guys to grow mustaches, raising $43,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.
- In 2012, Movember will have over one million participants.
As a whole, the charity has raised well over $300 million towards prostate and testicular cancer initiatives. It helps that Movember has a bunch of celebrities promoting and taking part in the movement, including Nick Offerman, Foster the People, "4 of 5 Romney sons," and Justin Bieber.
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It's not too late to join Movember, and Adam Garone offered these words of wisdom to growing a good mustache.
"Movember is all about the journey, not the destination – any moustache is a good moustache if it's worn with confidence. The conversations that your moustache creates are what really matters, so take pride in whatever you grow."
Bottomline: grow a mustache and wear it with confidence.
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