The first time the Grooming Standard participated in Movember, 447,808 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas were registered to grow mustaches and support mustache growth.
This year is Movember’s 10-year anniversary.
About 800,000 people have registered to participate in the global movement that encourages men to grow mustaches to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health.
The Grooming Standard is participating for its fourth year in a row.
Oded Eshel, a 29-year-old clinical consultant at Exactech Gainesville, and Mike Cushing, a 27-year-old marketing strategist at local digital agency 352, started the Movember team in 2010 when a mutual friend, who was about 25 at the time, was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Their friend survived and is now the group’s mascot, Eshel said.
Just one week into the month, the Grooming Standard has raised a bit more than $5,000 toward its $30,000 goal for the 30-day global fundraiser.
Eshel, the team captain, said he has no doubt the team will surpass its goal.
The group markets its cause using humor and YouTube videos that they send to friends and family who support their cause.
The first YouTube video they made for Movember 2013 features booty shaking to the song “Good Vibrations” by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and a set of signs that read “Welcome to Movember” and “F**k you cancer.”
The object of the fundraiser is to start a conversation about health from the male perspective, Eshel said.
“I think that the awareness happens organically as a result of that,” he said. “The big thing with fundraisers is no one really donates to a cause. They donate to people.”
Howard Rofenblatt, a 66-year-old testicular cancer survivor, said raising awareness is the best way to catch cancer early because people who are taught to do self-examinations can know when something is wrong.
“Early detection results in increased life expectancy,” he said.
Cushing, whose father was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this year, said he has always been passionate about his involvement.
But his father’s diagnosis just shows cancer can strike at any time.
B. J. Webster, a barber and owner of the Downtown Barbershop, said Movember is gaining momentum.
In November, a lot of customers say they’re participating.
“Slowly but surely, for one month of the year, the mustache is becoming the look of prostate and testicular cancer,” Cushing said.
Although the Downtown Barber Shop doesn’t do anything special to promote the movement, it offers a free beard trim to men who come in for haircuts, Webster said.
Keeping beards short and rocking just a mustache is the most challenging part of Movember for Cushing and Eshel, who are both fans of year-round facial hair.
Cushing’s ‘stache is a handlebar right now.
“I want to look slightly ridiculous, so people ask me about my mustache,” he said. “For most people, I think the mustache is not a common look.”
Eshel said his mustache doppelgänger is the Killers’ lead singer Brandon Flowers. He said he’s “like 12 hairs shy of going full handlebar.”
“Full up top. Soul patch on the bottom,” Eshel said. “Like a classy pirate.”
Learn more about participating in Movember and the cause it supports at movember.com.
A version of this story ran on page 9 on 11/7/2013 under the headline "Mo ’staches, mo money: Movember"
