For many, the month of November represents time spent with family, Thanksgiving dinner and college football.
However, for many others, November also represents the time when men and a few shameless women alike stow away their razors and unite in an act of poor grooming for the annual event called No-Shave November, or “Noshember” for short, by not shaving their faces, legs or armpits over the entirety of the month.
The tradition of boasting one’s masculinity for a month is in full swing for students at The University of Southern Mississippi. Sophomore Caleb Faulkner participates in No-Shave November every year and said he was excited about this year’s event.
“Honestly, I’m just excited to see if (I) can grow a great beard by the end of the month,” Faulkner said. “Not to mention all the benefits that the month has to offer like saving money on razors and shaving cream and saving time getting ready in the morning,” he continued.
Faulkner also said he likes to take pictures every day to be able to look back on his day-to-day transformation at the end of the month.
Faulkner is just one of many students participating in No-Shave November just for the fun of doing it with no other motives aside from the curiosity of a finished product at the end of the month.
However, No-Shave November is perhaps a bigger trend among students that are participating in the event for awareness, fundraisers or for charity. No-Shave November actually began in 2009 as a way to encourage men to grow beards and collect money that would go to benefit cancer research, awareness and treatment.
According to the official website of No-Shave November, money is raised by “donating the money you usually spend on shaving and grooming for a month to educate about cancer prevention, save lives and aid those fighting the battle.”
Likewise, students at USM get involved in a similar way through the Baptist Student Union. Participants sign up to grow their beards for the month of November to have them auctioned off at the BSU’s annual Christmas party Dec. 1.
Students can bid money on each beard and the winner of the auction gets to shave the participant’s beard any way they choose. The participant’s uniquely shaven beard then must stay like that for the next 24 hours.
“All of the money we raise goes directly toward helping students go on missions,” said BSU President Alissa Clouse. “It’s always a really fun event we have raised over $2,000 in the past.”
Previous events have helped fund over 180 students statewide and 17 students from USM to go on foreign missions. Anyone who would like to participate in the fundraiser can still sign up at the BSU.
Whether it is to raise money for a cause or to simply put one’s beard-growing abilities to the test, students at USM are putting down their razors and uniting at the peak of laziness this November to keep this unique annual trend alive.
