“I quite like the look of a good moustache”
Dinah works at a library in Toronto. I talk to her near the end of her shift and continue the conversation after she ends. Dinah reminisces about the moustache trends of the past. She likes a man with a good moustache and thinks it looks good, but admits that when she sees the weather man sport a Mo for Movember that it feels like a bit of a blast from the past. The history of the moustache is long and complicated. The history includes the military, 1920s and 1930s famous Chaplin and infamous Hitler moustache, 40s and 50s pornography industry and beatniks adoption of the moustache, 60s hippie facial hair, 70s gay moustache, 90s hipster moustache and so forth. Of course, the history is much “hairier” than that. In the 40s, Dinah even remembers wearing a handmade moustache to a party with her costume designer friend.
Thinking about the moustache trends makes me wonder about the future of charitable trends. I am most interested to see the creative spaces that women and other groups carve out for themselves in playing a role in Movember. Is Movember an enduring charity? Will we continue to see one hairy month each year? Looking back at the trajectory of the campaign, great strides have been made and can only hope that Movember is here to stay.
Jenna Jacobson 