Men's health grows fuzzier

The month-long charity and awareness campaign Movember is staged on the Star Ferry. Photos provided to China Daily

The number of prostate cancer cases has tripled in Hong Kong over the last 10 years.

Mo Sista Francesa Ayala encourages Mo Bros to not "be afraid to get weird (when growing your mustache). Weirdness starts conversations. And that helps build awareness."

Ayala and her friend Jasmine Robertson organized a Movember Beer Pong Tournament on Nov 16 at Libertine in SoHo.

Many Hong Kong Mos Bros started Movember with a clean shave at Gentlemen's Tonic barbershop in Central on the last day of October - Halloween. That was the start of a month of growing and grooming.

Celebrity chef Jason Black says that, for him, the challenge isn't growing a mustache. It's shaving facial hair off.

"I never shave and have a beardy kind of thing going on all the time," he says, emphasizing the word "never".

So, he's actually subtracting, rather than adding, facial hair for the movement.

Gilbert, on the other hand, says growing is his problem.

"After a feeble attempt last year, I would not dare to recommend any (grooming) strategies," he says.

"I have moderate to poor growth in the top lip department. However, that will not stop me from giving it a bloody good go. Curse my boyish good looks!"

Ayala's Movember mustache management issue is that, well, she can't grow one. To her: "(Movember) is a time to celebrate manliness and the men in our lives."

Gilbert says: "Movember is a chance to educate people on the very real dangers of prostate and testicular cancer. Men are obsessed with being manly and will even brag about the fact that the last time they went to the doctor's was 10 years ago. Movember is a chance to change that approach.

"Through word of mouth and offensive facial hair, we can show that being truly manly is being enough of a man to realize you are not invincible. And, for the sake of your family and friends, you should swallow your pride and get frequent checkups."

For Black: "(Movember) means I can do something a little different for a change. Little is done to highlight men's health. And if I can have a little fun, raise a little money and create a little awareness, it is a good thing."