You’re probably wondering why the men in your town have suddenly time traveled back to 1975, when Burt Reynolds was king, and are now sprouting some pretty gnarly (and frankly, rather weak) moustaches. Well, that’s because it’s Movember, the month where men raise money and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer. How? By asking for donations from friends and family for their moustache growing efforts. This has become a worldwide fundraiser with over 173 million dollars being raised for prostate cancer research globally since 2003.

Now I’m sure there are women out there with the ability to grow moustaches and if you want to rock the mo’ this month, I say go for it!  But for fair-haired ladies of the world such as myself, growing a moustache  to raise awareness for men’s health is sadly out the question. So I pondered…how do women show their support for Movember? Thankfully, after some digging, I found three fabulous ways that women or Mo Sistas can support this important cause without having to sport a five o’clock shadow!

1. Get a moustache tattoo!

Don’t worry…it’s not actually tattooed on your upper lip! I was at a comedy show last week and this young woman Eleina was pulled up on stage by the comedian who asked why she had a bandage on her index finger.  She giggled and then pulled off the bandage to reveal a tiny moustache tattooed on it and then cleverly raised the finger to her upper lip to model it.

How fun is this! I'm really contemplating getting one.

I spoke with her after the show and she told me that a local tattoo shop was offering moustache tattoos (also called fingerstaches) during the month of November with most of the proceeds going to prostate cancer research. What a fun way to raise awareness and also turn into Charlie Chaplin whenever you want! Turns out a lot of tattoo shops are offering this during November so ladies, if you’ve always wanted a tattoo but couldn’t figure out what, this one is pretty darn cute and definitely a conversation piece.

2. Wear moustache accessories

A friend of mine told me about a local designer friend of hers named Alexis Kastner (her design company is called Jovee) who has created a “Movember” line: a series of amazing moustache-style jewelry and custom made wallets and cardholders, with ALL proceeds going to prostate cancer research.

Love it!

Definitely a one-of-a-kind item!

She custom makes these!

I interviewed Alexis via Facebook and asked what her experience with this idea has been.

“I’m a one-man-band making all these pieces but it’s been a real trip! I actually have to hand turn my sewing machine so, for example: each moustache keychain that I make takes me at least an hour to sew!! Madness I tell you, but for a good cause!!”

All I can say is what a commendable and unique way to use your talent and time to support such a great cause!

So how about instead of spending $15 this month to painfully have that “ladystache” waxed from your upper lip, you think of buying a moustache necklace to show your Movember support whilst also being fashionable!

(If you live in Victoria, you can buy these items from Lark and Sparrow Boutique or you can order directly via Alexis’ Movember Facebook page.  I also recommend “liking” her Facebook page as she’ll be doing random contests to score free moustache swag!…And we all know how much I like free stuff!!! Tee-hee!)

3. Make that moustache man in your life shave it off!

Instead of getting the men in your life to grow moustaches for this cause, why not collect donations for your husband, father or brother who has been hip to the moustache trend all his life, to shave it off!  Trust me, this shows a lot more conviction and sacrifice for a moustache man to actually shave off his sacred upper lip friend…Just ask him and he’ll tell you it’s like losing a part of himself. Also, this is great way to inconspicuously get your boyfriend or husband to shave off that moustache you have always secretly hated! LOL

My father did this a few years ago…he’s had a moustache since he was 15 years old! But for charity, he auctioned the rights to shave off portions of his moustache at his office. He raised over $600 and for the first time in his adult life, his face was hairless. We, as a family, commended him for his valiant effort but later on, agreed that the moustache needed to come back (the words “Uncle Fester” kept creeping into our head every time we looked at him.  Tee-hee…sorry Dad!)

Now there is a moustache to aspire to for all you men trying to grow one right now!

But if tattoo needles scare you, you’re not a jewellery person and no one in your life sports an upper lip friend, remember you can always donate to this important cause (The guys at UsedEverywhere have formed Team Used Moustache for donations.)

Personally though, I  like the idea of women walking around this month with fingerstaches, sporting moustache earrings and secretly eliminating the dreaded hairy upper lipped friends in their lives!  Happy Movember everyone! I’d love to hear what other woman are doing to support this cause!

*** If 50 people “like” this post, I’ll post the photo of my dad sans moustache aka. Uncle Fester! Tee-hee! Love you Dad!

Coupon tip of the week:  One great way of stocking up on items you use is to be aware of the monthly sales cycles.  Each month, stores will always put certain items on sale.  For instance, because of the holidays, baking ingredients always go on sale in November.  So stock up on flour, sugar and evaporated milk now.  Plus you’ll usually find coupons for these items around this time of year.