For St. Dominic students, the start of November often means Thanksgiving break is only three weeks away and the holiday season has officially begun. For some, it also means putting away the razors and shaving cream until December 1. You guessed it: it’s No-Shave November!

Some girls make bets with friends on who can go the longest without shaving their legs and guys sport excessive facial hair and the “flow.” However, how many students know the real reason behind this wild trend?

“I don’t know what it’s actually for, but my friends and I have fun seeing who can go the longest without shaving,” said senior Raychel Blattel.

A survey that was conducted here at St. Dominic showed that only three out of 25 people had an idea of the meaning behind No-Shave November.

The trend began in 2003 when the “Movember” (“mo” deriving from the word mustache) movement started with just thirty men in Australia. These men grew mustaches in order to raise awareness for men’s health issues such as depression and prostate cancer.

In just twelve years, the Movember Foundation has expanded to 21 different countries and has 4,746,905 participants who have raised upwards of $649 million for charity. In 2014, the United States alone raised $20.2 million to help combat men’s diseases (according to the Movember Foundation website).

Movember is not just for men. Many women throughout the world partake in the month long event by not shaving their legs. However, it goes without saying that the cooler weather and acceptability to wear long pants during the season helps hide the less-than-desirable leg hair.

Now that you know the meaning behind No-Shave November, put down those razors and take part in raising awareness for the millions fighting against men’s health issues! If you do not think you can stand going an entire month without shaving, but would still like to contribute to the movement, donate online at us.movember.com.