Tyler Hoare shows off his beard.

Raegan Tomczyk pulls down her pant-legs and exposes her legs, and the layer of hair is hard not to notice. Then she raises her arms, and that hair is even more obvious.

“I just don’t even think about it. It’s actually really comfortable,” she said.

But the sophomore isn’t holding off on shaving because of the comfort and laziness. She is one of many who last month were “No Shave November” participants across the Castleton campus.

No Shave November is the month where people bring shaving to a screeching halt to raise prostate cancer awareness, and to take pride in their rapidly growing hair. It officially started on Facebook in 2009 and was created to raise money from what would have been spent on grooming.

The goal is to, “grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free,” reads the official No-Shave-November site. “Donate the money you usually spend on shaving and grooming for a month to educate about cancer prevention, save lives, and aid those fighting the battle.”

And that is exactly what students did.

Former Spartan Colby Griffin finds the month a perfect excuse not to shave.

“Who wants to shave anyways,” said Griffin. “I find it annoying.”

Griffin has been an avid participant each November since freshman year of high school and has no problem growing facial hair.

“I usually always have a beard, it’s just much thicker right now … It’s completely full and getting a little wild,” Griffin said.

But unlike many who grow beards, he keeps it groomed and clean.

“I shampoo it too,” he said.

Senior Tyler Hoare is also a proud beastly-bearded boy. He even carries his comb around with him in case his beard needs a quick grooming. And he conditions it.

“Girls love the beard,” He said with a smirk.

Raegan Tomczyk shows off her armpit hair for the camera.
Sara Novenstern/Castleton Spartan

Couples have No Shave November spirit too.

Juniors Cassandra Murphy and Alex Adams have played along with No Shave November before. This is Murphy’s second year and Adams has been doing it since as long as he can remember.

“He’s not shaving his face and I’m not shaving my legs,” explained Murphy.  “We didn’t really decide to do it together. Alex had a bet going in with roommates and I said I wasn’t going to shave until he did,” she said with a laugh

And considering that they are dating, the question of annoying scruff or gross hairy legs was a thought.

 “The long hair doesn’t really bother us. We make jokes about it and see who would want the other to cave in and shave first,” said Murphy.

But neither raising prostate cancer awareness nor having hairy faces, legs and armpits are the only reasons why people do it.

Tomczyk explained how she also puts shaving on hold because society puts pressure on girls to look a certain way – a non-hairy, silky smooth way.

“Girls are supposed to be clean shaved, silky legs. This is my way against it and prove to people that I’m still cool and pretty and awesome and hairy,” said Tomczyk humbly.

And although the month is over, the fun isn’t.

Griffin claims he’s going to shave his beard into something funny for about a week.

“I like to have fun with it,” he said.  “I’m shaving it into a handlebar mustache with a goatee!”

Hoare decided for this year he would post an Instagram picture and is, “leaving it up to the people to decide” what to do with it.

“Or I’m just not going to shave,” said Hoare.

Tomczyk is doing the same.

“I’m just going to keep going with it,” she said.