Camping, backpacking, thru-hiking, and other extended outdoor adventures are all great times to grow out your facial hair, if you have it, since personal grooming isn’t typically high up on your priority list. In 2019, Bear Grylls did just that, before shaving all but a handlebar mustache, which he kept temporarily in honor of Movember—an annual event in which men grow out mustaches to raise awareness for various men’s health issues, including prostate cancer and suicide.
He talked about the new look and more on Britain’s morning talk show, Good Morning Britain, during a 2019 interview, sharing that his facial hair had prompted some funny reactions from friends, family, and royalty alike. In the interview, Bear says Prince William, upon seeing the survivalist sporting his new mustache at a wildlife-conservation event, made an “ew” cringe face. Bear also says his wife was not thrilled with the change.
The ‘stache has appeared on Bear’s face on and off since that first Movember, and, sometimes, by looking at his social media, it’s hard to tell if he has a mustache right now or not. For instance, a recent post shows him posing next to a wax figure of himself in Madame Tussauds, and he has a mustache (the wax figure does not). He wrote in the caption, though, that he misses the ‘stache and his family doesn’t, suggesting the picture is an old one.
And yet (the plot thickens), he has since posted a Reel starring the ‘stache. Thankfully, after a recent call with Bear’s team, we now know that as of early November 2023, Bear does not have a mustache, and the team believes he does not plan to grow one out for Movember this year, like he has in the past.
If you’re adventuring this month, will you lighten your pack and join the cause by leaving the shaving kit at home?
This article was updated on November 10, 2023.
