Story by Molly Longman
It’s finally November, and everyone knows what that means. No, not endless turkey and stuffing or the continuous, far too early early playing of Christmas Carols, it means it’s finally No-Shave November.
The time of the year when students avoid the touch of a Gillette blade against their beards, mustaches or legs.
As it turns out, Plato can be credited for this hirsute tradition, although November didn’t exist in ancient Greece.
He was the first to come up with the idea that men should cultivate their beards and not be aloud to shave.
Throughout history, other scholars agreed with Plato that hairy was better. In Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, he said, “no man can be trusted if he is without a beard.”
Since then, plenty of other historical and public figures such as Karl Marx, Abraham Lincoln, Johnny Depp and Ryan Gosling have promoted the no-shave trend.
No-Shave November was officially coined and systemized in Australia in 2004 when a group of 30 men organized an event and grew moustaches for 30 days to raise awareness for prostate cancer and depression in men.
The men embraced the scruffy look, which many cancer patients are unable to realize, and let their hair grow wild and free. The goal of this tradition was to promote men’s health, and the foundation became known as the Movember foundation.
Students on Drake University’s Campus are celebrating No-Shave November with enthusiasm.
When asked about his No-Shave November experience, Garrett Gould, a first-year Drake atudent said, “Beards … they grow on you,” and was happy not to have to have to deal with the hassle of being clean-shaven.
Another Drake Student, Isaiah Enockson, said he was also happy to participate.
However, he said beard maintenance can be just as tiring as shaving all altogether.
Just because it’s No-Shave November, it does not mean you should walk around campus looking like a cave person, Enockson said.
It was much harder to find female students participating in the tradition, and it’s not just because they struggle to grow the more obvious forms of facial hair.
After asking around, it was clear that most women who participate in No-Shave November feel that they will alas, also be doomed to participate in No-Date December.
This has proven not just a stumbling block for women.
Joe Fahey, another Drake first-year, found that his newly found facial hair did not help him with the ladies.
“You’d think it would add to the cuddle-factor … but no,” Fahey said.
No-Shave November may seem like a dumb college tradition meant for student’s too lazy to pick up a razor, but philanthropically, it’s a blessing.
Many grow out their facial hair in November to raise money for charities and organizations raise money to raise awareness for cancer and men’s health.
A little stubble can go a long way. Letting those locks grow can be a way to raise money for good causes.
