Me And My Muzzie: Movember 2018

When I set out on my Movember journey I didn’t even really know if I could grow facial hair. At 26, I still only really shave once a week (as a clean up job) and so the idea of growing something substantial has always interested me. So here it was, an excuse to both raise funds for charity and push the boat (and hairs) out to see what would happen. As I learned by interviewing Jack O Connor from Movember Ireland earlier this month, the foundation has done a lot of great work since it started ten years ago.

It manages to use the novelty elements of both social media and moustaches to engage people in either their own campaigns or their friends campaigns. Having seen my friend Niall take part in the initiative last year and raise a massive sum of money, I felt it would be worth seeing just how much sponsorship money I too could grow alongside “the mo!”

Day 1: So full of hope

So as Halloween drew to a close and I ignored my friends pleas to “give yourself a head start of a few days”, I took out the razor and gave myself the closest shave I’d ever had! Now all that was left to do was wait… then nothing happened. It became apparent after about three days that my daily updates on Instagram were absolutely needless. Like a slacking gym bunny after a 30 day challenge, I was trying to use Hollywood lighting and angles to trick even myself into thinking there’d some progress!

Much like the moustache, the donations were slow at the beginning. “I wanna see more than that before I hand my money over” barked my sister in the general direction of my measly whiskers. Ten days in and I had begun to lose hope. I would shave my entire face bar the stache every two days so it would become crystal clear to everyone that I was taking part in the campaign. Maybe that way they would begin to support the cause? 

Potential Promo Poster for Movember 2019?

As I got over that two week initial slump, the hair was beginning to become thicker and to be fair the whole look was starting to “grow” on me. My girlfriend and parents didn’t seem to feel the same way though as they would quietly remind me daily that it would be fun once it was gone in December. Despite this, I began spending on average 30 seconds more looking in the mirror each day to have a quiet few words of encouragement with the moustache. By the time I was two thirds of the way through the month, for the first time in my life I felt like a real man.

The donations had really started to flow in too. Everyone loves an underdog so I think the sad reality of my increasingly pointless daily updates encouraged a few people to get behind me and the “little muzzie that could”. A big breakthrough came when my own mother bankrolled me with a massive donation. What she didn’t realise however was her accompanying comment would be publicly visible. I have two sisters by the way…

When pay day came in work, a quick email around the office made a huge difference as my colleagues at Blue Insurance (or the Blue Crew, as nobody calls us) were unbelievably generous! As the month came to a close it was time to tap up the last of my closest friends and family for those final donations. I was finding it hard to believe that my closest group of friends had left it until the final day to sponsor me. I “gently” reminded them on the 30th in the Whatsapp group that this was their last chance. They all quickly replied that they had indeed already sponsored me.

The penny dropped and it suddenly became clear that any of the unusual or surprising donations that I had received during the month had been in fact them using a different name. These different names included random neighbours, old friends, the mother of an ex girlfriend and someone who I studied abroad with over 3 years ago. They had obviously hoped that I’d write to these people who would be completely unaware of it until my getting in touch. A classic stitch up that is as mean as it was genius. Thankfully I was waiting until after the month to get in touch with all the donors to say thanks. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it ;)

Day: 23: I met Marty Whelan and he complemented me on my moustache. The last part there didn’t happen.

With all these genuine and fake donations flooding in on the final days of my journey, I was able to ignore the impending moment where I would have to say goodbye to my new little friend. My muzzie had seemingly bedded in for the winter and became almost bushy in it’s final few days. It also became clear that had I would never have the ability to grow a full beard, it would always end up being a patchy ginger/blonde mess.

Like most Movember campaigns, this was mainly just a vanity project for the person taking part. During the weeks however, I did learn that with very little effort and a fun initiative, people are willing to give a lot of their money towards a great cause. As the month came to a crescendo, I had really grown attached to my new look and held onto it for two extra days to say my heartfelt goodbyes. Before shaving it, I put a quick poll on Instagram and asked my family on Whatsapp for their honest opinions. Although Instagram was in favour of the stache, it’s safe to say my Dad will always tell me what he really thinks.

To any of those who sponsored me over the month, I really do appreciate it. I made a massive €901 and that was way more than I ever could have hoped for. If you’re looking for ways that you can help Movember Ireland in the future, visit their wesbite.