Movember and Feminism: How I found my identity as a feminist within a male-centric initiative
Movember: November’s gift to moustache lovers. The Movember Foundation was founded in Australia in 2003, by a couple of mates who decided that moustaches would be the way to spark conversation about men’s health, and they were seemingly onto something, having garnered over 6 Million advocates throughout the next 17 years.
I first heard about Movember as part of my volunteering project in high school and I was immediately drawn to the idea of bringing together a community to advocate for men’s health using the common ground between 2012 Tumblr girls, hipsters and old school gentlemen - an appreciation for moustaches. I could see how this initiative made sense: it encouraged men to use their voices to create a healthier space for them to speak about their struggles. Psychologically, this creates a safe space for men to process issues rather than take up unhealthy coping mechanisms like projecting their trauma onto those around them or internalising it and engaging in self-destructive tendencies.
Women do not owe anyone the unpaid labour of teaching emotional intelligence; least of all those who are unwilling to accept it, or fail to see the value of it. However, we can start where we know our work will have the most impact- our own social bubbles. Reaching out to our male friends, to our brothers and fathers is a good start because you have an established identity and hopefully also a voice that you can use to highlight issues that need fixing.
Those of you that know me know that I am a pic-n-mix of different cultures. Being a third culture kid has taught me that the best way to engage with an unfamiliar group of people is to integrate while educating. This logic extends to our work as women in improving men’s health. If women approach Movember as a way to facilitate understanding between the genders then it makes sense that Movember is an asset to feminism rather than a hindrance. Movember aims to help men lead longer, happier and healthier lives; an action that will consequentially have a positive impact on families and society as a whole. By partaking in Movember, we teach men that we care about them and recognise their value and hence hope that when men engage with feminism, it is a way for them to do the same for us. This shifts the distracting conversation around feminism from being a ‘man-hating’ movement to a call for solidarity and understanding between men and women.
For the men reading this: we care and therefore we need you to reach out to us and accept our help when you need it, and we hope you will do the same for us when our time comes. To the women reading this: ladies, BRAVO! We have run, fundraised, composed songs and hosted events. From BLWFC, to Abi Young, examples of our kindness exist all around us. There is power in forming alliances, the foundation of which is laid out through empathy and solidarity.
