It's time to occupy the upper lip - Chicago Tribune

If a clean-cut colleague suddenly sprouts a third brow, this one just above the upper lip, don't hesitate to confront him.

For thousands of guys across the globe, getting questions is one of the goals behind growing a mustache in November, otherwise known as Movember.

From its pencil-thin ambitions in Melbourne, Australia, Movember has grown into a worldwide campaign that calls attention to men's health issues. Since 2003, more than 1.1 million men have participated, raising $174 million. In the U.S., the beneficiaries are the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG, the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Participants register at movember.com, start clean-shaven on Nov. 1, then grow a mustache for 30 days, collecting pledges in various ways. A twist on the red ribbon for AIDS or pink for breast cancer awareness, the mustache becomes "a hairy ribbon," said Aaron Brost, who participates each year and publicizes the campaign in the Midwest. "It definitely starts conversations."

In past years Brost has used social media to invite bidding for the rights to dictate the type of mustache he will grow. Last year the highest bidder paid $300 toward the cause and designated a trucker style.

This year Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, Milwaukee Brewers closer John Axford, members of the band Cake and Brody Jenner are among the celebrities committed to participate.

It's a serious effort, but also an amusement with a fresh batch of puns and a new poster-boy each year — this year it's the Country Gentleman.

Quipping that "it's time to occupy the upper lip," Aaron Perlut, chairman of the tongue-in-cheek advocacy group the American Mustache Institute in St. Louis, applauds the effort.

"The fall signifies mustache season in America, which means the ratio of good-looking people in this country will increase tenfold," Perlut said, hailing it as a gateway to "the sexually dynamic mustached American lifestyle."

But with a 'stache comes responsibility. Men's grooming brand The Art of Shaving has launched a "Keep It Neat" campaign, inviting Movember participants to register at TheArtofShaving.com/Movember for deals on Hot Towel Shaves and maintenance services. Proceeds from the seasonal services will be donated to Movember.

For daily grooming at home, The Art of Shaving suggests skipping wax in favor of an after-shave gel to shape the mustache and hold it in place.

For trims as the month wears on, Wahl Shavers suggests directing a fine-toothed comb straight down over the mustache before wielding a precision ground trimmer.

'Stache styles

The Art of Shaving offers this glossary:

Chevron: A thick and wide mustache, usually worn long to cover the top border of the upper lip.

Horseshoe: A full mustache with vertical extensions grown on the corners of the lips and down the sides of the mouth to the jawline, resembling an upside-down horseshoe. The whiskers grown along the sides of the mouth in the horseshoe are sometimes referred to as "pipes." It's not to be confused with the "Fu Manchu," which is grown long from the upper lip only with the sides remaining shaven.

Pencil: A thin, narrow, closely clipped moustache that outlines the upper lip. Pencil style mustaches can be trimmed in different manners. Also sometimes called a "mouthbrow."

Pyramid: A general name for mustaches shaped narrow on top and wide on the bottom.

Handlebar: Worn large or small ("petit handlebar"), it is characterized by the fact that it is bushy and must be worn long enough to curl the ends upward, which is usually achieved with styling wax.

Painter's brush: A thick mustache extending the width of the mouth, usually worn short, with slightly rounded corners.

Walrus: A large, bushy, droopy mustache that often covers the mouth entirely.