New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a new look on Sunday with a moustache but without his signature beard to raise awareness about men’s health, Joe Calvello, press secretary for the mayor, told JNS on Monday.
“Thousands of people, including Mayor Mamdani, are sporting mustaches this ‘Movember’ to raise awareness about men’s health issues, including mental health disorders, testicular cancer and prostate cancer,” Calvello said.
“This month, we encourage all New Yorkers to learn their family medical history and talk to their doctor about regular screenings,” he told JNS.
Mamdani appeared with his new look on Sunday at a visit to a church and later, while handing water to runners at the New York City Marathon.
He was photographed with his beard still intact on Friday greeting trick-or-treaters alongside New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in Queens.
Movember is an annual campaign in November encouraging men to grow mustaches to raise awareness about men’s physical and mental health, including prostate and testicular cancers and suicide prevention.
Mamdani’s facial hair was the source of controversy last year during the Democratic mayoral primary. The mayor’s campaign accused a super PAC supporting former governor Andrew Cuomo of digitally altering a photograph that made Mamdani’s beard appear darker, longer and thicker.
Mamdani said last year that it was “blatant Islamophobia,” and the Cuomo campaign said the mailer, which was never distributed, was “disrespectful.”
