Celebs in Parody Video Urge Support for Movember to Raise Prostate Cancer Awareness

In a lighthearted twist on a serious goal of raising awareness and funds for prostate cancer, the Movember Foundation is again encouraging gents to join glitterati in celebrating the moustache.

The annual event is called Movember, a blending of the Australian-English “mo” for moustache with “November,” the month in which men are asked to cultivate hair growth above their upper lip.

This year, celebrities helping to bring awareness about Movember include comedians Stephen Fry and Stephen Merchant, actor David Oyelowo, ex-Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, fashion expert Tan France, and adventurer and survival expert Bear Grylls.

In a send-up of the conventional public service announcement, the Australia-based organization has created a humorous video called “Movember Facial Hair Facts” in which the celebrities explain the significance of the moustache and Movember.

In the video, for example, Grylls says: “Of all the things I’ve done in my career, taking the plunge and growing a moustache has resulted in the most response from folk around the world. Of course, in the wild, a hairy upper lip is an essential for warmth and stealth. So this Movember, join us and grow a Mo. Because whatever you grow will save a bro.”

For his part, Merchant says: “The sexiest men who ever lived all have moustaches: Tom Selleck, Burt Reynolds, the Swedish chef from the Muppets. Feel sexy by growing a Mo this November and help to change the face of men’s health.”

Whether participating alone or with a team, so-called “Mo Bros” can visit this site to register. They should begin the campaign on Nov. 1 with a clean-shaven face, then grow and groom a moustache — no beards allowed — throughout the month. They also are asked to follow Movember on Instagram, and to post moustache-featured selfies on social media using the hashtag #Movember.

Friends, family members, and co-workers, regardless of gender, can support their “Mo Bro” by going here to donate. The UK site has additional information, including moustache-growing tips.

According to the foundation, which funds men’s health initiatives around the world, one in nine men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. Currently, more than three million live with the cancer.

By 2030, the organization hopes to halve the number of men dying from prostate cancer globally — estimated in 2012 at more than one million — as well as those facing serious side effects from prostate cancer treatment. The global action plan includes awareness and education, collaborations, research, affordable treatments, and personalized care. Visit this U.S. site for all of Movember’s prostate cancer projects.

In addition to prostate cancer, the 16-year-old Australia-based organization focuses on testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention.