Each participant gets involved for unique reasons. Some see it as a way to cultivate their laziness, while others find it to be the perfect bonding experience with friends, males or females.

Participating in No-Shave November is especially popular among college students. According to the Pepperdine University’s Facebook group called “Pepperdine’s No Shave November,” music scenes in the past have helped develop novel trends in men’s facial hair. The ’60s and ’70s brought longer hair and beards, as well as the Grunge music of the ’90s, making the “shaggy” look popular.

However, some individuals prefer to take part in a similar hairy event called “Movember.” It started as a bit of a “joke” in 2003, and requires its participants to grow a moustache during the month of November. According to us.movember.com, moustaches in particular were thought to draw attention from others. The creators of Movember have aimed to turn the month into an opportunity to make a difference for the better.

The website states, “The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men.” The creators of Movember (the self-proclaimed “Mo Bros”) were “inspired by the women around them and all they had done for breast cancer, the Mo Bros set themselves on a course to create a global men’s health movement.”

Males are especially drawn to the month, as it fosters an excuse to not pick up a razor for 30 days, and grow beards that normally are reserved for Dumbledore and lumberjacks.

Rules do apply for both Movember and No-Shave November. According to the Movember site, participants are encouraged to shave on the first of November, to begin the month with a cleanly shaven face. Trimming is also encouraged, to avoid looking like grizzly bears as much as possible. No-Shave November is a bit simpler, since the mere requirement, as far as anyone knows, is to not shave at all.

Mike McMahon, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’14, plans to participate again, after completing the event last year, not shaving for more than just the month of November. He looks forward to the benefits of not having “to worry about shaving in the morning,” because it is “a pain.”

Nigel Cronk, FCLC ’14, didn’t learn about No-Shave November until he arrived at college; however he will most likely be joining in on the fun. His reasons for participating involve the benefit of saving precious time “out of [his] busy schedule”.

However, not all males anticipate these benefits. For Nick Giordano, FCLC ’14, the negative effects of not shaving outweigh the positives, and therefore he will not be participating. He states, “By the end of the week I already look like a homeless man; I’d rather not wait one month to shave.”

This month may be primarily geared toward men, but women are also encouraged to participate. Although she doesn’t plan on participating, Emma Gil, FCLC ’14, feels that women should also get involved. She says, “I am not going to let my boyfriend have all the fun.” She sees the benefits in the “shorter showers” and the lack of “unnecessary cuts.”

As McMahon states, there is “no reason why it’s solely meant for men.” There you have it ladies, put down those razors! Embrace this month just as much as men do.

Whether you are participating or not, this month should unfold interestingly through the way it bonds individuals together in a ridiculous way. But fun aside, it should be kept in mind that this trend stands for more than just straying from the annoyance of shaving, in that it is about the endorsement of men’s health. The month holds great appeal to many, and is widely anticipated around the nation and right here at Lincoln Center.