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Students laughed and socialized around the tables in the Traditions Plaza, outside the bookstore as they picked up free Moe’s burritos and chips — most of them with moustaches.
DJ Hercules blasted house music for them while students awaited their chance to win prizes like T-shirts, water bottles, and a year’s worth of pride for sporting the best moustache.
Today and Beyond Wellness put on a moustache contest Tuesday, Nov. 27 around 11 a.m. and gave out flyers filled with facts and information about men’s health, such as men’s average lifespan and types of cancer common in men. This was all part of Movember, a month dedicated to growing moustaches to build awareness for testicular cancer.
The Wellness crew set up a table where students could pick up fake moustaches to put on their faces, moustache temporary tattoos for their fingers to hold under their noses, and pins with quotes about moustaches reading things like “MOVEMBER: Knowledge is Power. Moustache is King.”
Senior biology major Joshua Lung came prepared this year sporting a thick moustache and short boxed beard in hopes to redeem himself from last year’s contest, where he placed second.
“I started out with no shave November,” Lung said. He began by shaving, and then styling his moustache as it grew.
Lung’s preparation paid off — he won this year for having the best moustache, and threw his fist in the air victoriously as the judges called his number. “I felt amazing,” he said.
Lung was one of two students who competed in the contest with a real moustache.
“It takes a lot of time to grow a moustache,” Wellness Specialist Raquel Cabrel said. “It takes courage to sport a moustache for a whole month.”
With one fake moustache in its proper place, and another fake moustache set between his eyebrows, junior biology major Michael Lupo won the most creative moustache.
“You know that feeling when you’re moving out west and taking away land from Native people? It really feels like you’re establishing yourself in the world,” Lupo said with a smile after winning. “I hope the Native American Association doesn’t come after me for that.”
The rest of the contestants either wore one moustache above their lips, or dared to rock out a whole goatee. The possible awards were for best, worst, most creative, best faux, and most liked on Facebook moustache. The two contestants left were given consolation water bottles for their sportsmanship.
