Lovett School issued the following announcement on Nov. 15.
No-Shave November encourages people to participate by growing a beard, cultivating a mustache, letting those legs go natural, and skipping that waxing appointment.
When Halloween 2021 passed, senior Ian Stripe threw his razor in the drawer along with many other men and women participating in No Shave November.
I ran into him at lunch, and he told me it's his first time joining in on the challenge.
According to Westland Clinic, No-Shave November or Movember is a campaign created to grow (no pun intended) awareness of men’s health issues by letting your hair grow for 30 days. People are encouraged to donate money that they would usually use for razors, shaving cream, and other shaving products.
This is not limited to just men. No-Shave November encourages people to participate by growing a beard, cultivating a mustache, letting those legs go natural, and skipping that waxing appointment.
Though this is a fun challenge, the main purpose is to raise awareness for Men's Health Awareness Month and bring attention to a number of diseases and illnesses including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and poor mental health.
According to the website National Today, No-Shave November was created in 2009, two years after the passing of Matthew Hill who died in November of 2007 after struggling with colorectal cancer. He and his family had already taken on the routine of not shaving during the month of November and donating the expenses typically used on razors and shaving cream to charities that support research into illnesses such as the ones stated above.
This November, the Lovett SDLC has organized a contest where students are encouraged to grow out their facial hair, and the student who has grown the biggest mustache and longest beard by November 19 will win a prize.
But this contest isn’t a very old Lovett tradition. Lovett used to have strict facial hair policies, and in 2015 when students wanted to participate in No-Shave November, they had to wear lanyards to prevent teachers from calling them out on their uniform violation.
Thankfully, the uniform policies have evolved and keep evolving. When I asked Head of Upper School Mr. Boswell about where I could find the facial hair policy in the Pride Guide, he said I won’t find it because it doesn't exist. The facial hair policy was removed about 2-3 years ago along with policies on visible piercings and more.
If you want to raise awareness for Men’s Health Awareness month, put away the razor and, as they say in the Lorax, let it grow. You can also go to https://no-shave.org/ to learn more and donate to help support cancer prevention, research, and education.
At the end of this, I’ll be checking in with the most hirsute participants, and will let you know what drove them to let out their inner wolf.
It’s too bad Halloween is behind us.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Lovett School
Alerts Sign-up