If you take a close look at the guys around this time of the month, you will probably notice that some of them have joined the trend of having a beard. Aside from your personal ideas about whether the guy can pull off the beard or not, there is a strong possibility that there is a bigger cause behind his new look.
No Shave November has been an ongoing cancer awareness organization. This organization particularly focuses on the goal of embracing your hair, which many cancer patients unfortunately lose, by letting it grow out. It is up to the individual on what body hair they grow, but mainly guys participate in this with their beards.
The key word that sticks out when understanding how No Shave November is done here at Penn State, is the word guys. When it comes to this organization, many seem to forget that women can participate too! Women may not have beards but there are other parts of the body that have hair, like your legs or eyebrows, that can be grown out in order to participate.
Jordan Laporta, a junior studying criminal justice is among many other girls who didn’t really notice or pay attention to the fact that many girls don’t participate in No Shave November.
“I never actually thought about that. Cancer awareness is a big deal for me, and I try to participate as much as possible, so yeah ‘No Shave November’ would be a great thing to do.”
There are some girls who participate in other campaigns for hair growth in order to not only show the inequality of gender and sex between individuals, but also to encourage embracing yourself as who you are and not conforming to society’s pressures and norms.
All around campus, or even the community of State College, many young adults find themselves going around with whatever is “in.” What few of them may know is that many of the new trends out there are actually for a greater cause (i.e. Ice Bucket Challenge).
Audrey Bedell, a student that goes to State College High, viewed not shaving as a part of a bigger picture. “I stopped shaving because I didn’t feel like it was necessary,” Bedell says. “If men don’t have to shave why should I? It makes my life easier and I am more comfortable with myself.”
This is not a contest on who can grow the most hair; this is a movement about spreading cancer awareness and doing all that you can to help. Whether it be missing your next wax appointment or donating money to the organization on www.no-shave.org, do what you can to have a voice and speak up for a good cause.
Photo by Mary Duggan
