Ryan ChartrandNovember is by far my favorite month of the year.
Thanksgiving has to be the greatest holiday: nonstop consumption of turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes? Yes, please. But there is another tradition occurring during this glorious month that needs more attention: “No Shave November.”
It’s a chance for guys to show off their manliness by not shaving for the entire month of November. (As much as I fight for equality between men and women . ladies, let’s leave this tradition to the men.)
Men get together on Halloween to shave and then harass each other on who has the better, fuller beard for the next 30 days.
It is about the midpoint of the month, which means you will be noticing a lot more scruffy-faced men walking on campus. Some of my guy friends already have a full beard going. (They must be extra manly.)
For the clean-shaven guys you see around:
A. They are unaware of “No Shave November.” (Sad!)
B. They already gave in and shaved. (Weak!)
C. They have a certain “lady friend” who requested they not participate. (I don’t even need to say it!)
I have started to notice the varying patterns of facial hair some guys are rocking. The most amusing have to be the guys whose facial hair grows in patches or have scraggly beards by now. (Although you can’t shave, you could still trim your beard . Unless this breaks the rules?)
I wish I knew when “No Shave November” began. This is the fourth year I have seen people participating at Cal Poly. Has this always been a college tradition or is it something new? This may be one of life’s greatest mysteries and I am determined to find out.
I’m also on a mission to figure out who started “No Shave November.” I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the creator of the Facebook group. I’ve come to the conclusion that it was Jack Bauer, Chuck Norris or Santa Claus who started this hardcore tradition, you decide. Jack Bauer can grow a full beard in 24 hours. Chuck Norris can, and will, kill you if your beard is fuller than his. And, well, Santa Claus has been participating for a very, very long time. (I’m thinking this could be the next Mustang Daily online poll. We could even start a competition at the end of the month for guys to send in pictures of their beards and have students vote for a winner.)
A friend of mine has decided to extend this tradition by creating a beard-of-the-month calendar. Each month will consist of a different design in his beard. I think he should shave out his initials or maybe even go for a creeper mustache. (Calendars will be available come January.)
Many women do hate “No Shave November” because their boyfriends’ beards scratch their faces. This tradition is too great to not let boyfriends participate.
For me, I say bring on the grizzly, mountain men. Let us embrace this tradition.
Jessica Ford is a journalism senior and a Mustang Daily reporter.