Not to split hairs — yes, we had to go there — but No Shave November has enough overlapping origin stories to give Santa Claus a run for his money.
Even before the month of November existed, the guardians of Athens in ancient Greece set aside 30 days to grow facial hair in order to mimic the appearance of the gods, a practice Aristotle thoughtfully expanded into growing beards during that time as a practice of ethics.
Another deep thinker, Karl Marx, allegedly advocated the growing of beards simply to hack off capitalist factory owners because they were considered unsafe around machinery. It was hardly one of the more effective and memorable movements in the history of anarchy.
Today’s No Shave November is a fun and impactful way to bring awareness to and raise funds for the Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation, the only statewide, fully-staffed foundation in the U.S. devoted solely to prostate cancer.
The concept is simple. Shave on Nov. 1. Ditch the razor. Raise money for APCF. When No Shave November is over, we suggest treating yourself to a victory shave at The Art of Men’s Cuts. They are facial hair masters, after all.
The APCF offers the following steps for individuals wishing to participate:
Step 1: Shave on Oct. 31, then put your razor on the shelf. Get your picture taken.
Step 2: Post your freshly shaven Nov. 1 mug on their Facebook page with the tag #NoShaveAR under your name.
Step 3: On Dec. 1, take a picture of your beard and post on the Facebook page.
Step 4: Get your friends and family to “like” your beard, and them to make a donation to APCF in your name.
Details and instructions on how to participate as a group are available on the APCF website.
INFO: ARProstateCancer.org/No-Shave-November, #NoShaveAR, 501.379.8027