During this Breast Cancer Awareness month, an on-line social campaign which encourages women to go braless for a day to raise awareness of breast cancer has instead raised the ire of breast cancer survivors who say it does little more than sexualize the disease.
Women’s Health is reporting on the dust-up between supporters of the effort and those who say going braless has nothing to do with breast cancer and does little more than promote topless selfies and other indiscreet photos under the guise of compassion.
According to The Sun, the movement is believed to have started by a plastic surgeon in Canada in 2011 as a social campaign to support breast cancer awareness. Called BRA day, or Breast Reconstruction Awareness day, it was originally meant to educate women about their choices after undergoing a mastectomy.
\On this day, thousands of women around the world use the hastag #nobraday to campaign with the intent of encouraging women to carry out self-examinations, get proper screening and make sure they know the signs of breast cancer. Women who don’t want to go braless, and men who want to show their support, are encouraged to wear purple for the day. As of today, people in more than 30 countries are believed to be involved in the campaign.
This year’s BRA day was Friday, October 13, and over 82,000 women participated by posting pictures on Twitter and Instagram.
But does the program accomplish it’s aim?
“Those frustrated with #NoBraDay are arguing that what women need is not sexy, quasi-topless photos touting #nobraday with little explanation; they need real information explaining how to perform self-exams, what unexpected symptoms to be on the lookout for, and what they should do if they find a lump in their breast,” Women’s Health reports.
One irate woman named Pato Dahmashe tweeted a photo a topless woman who had a double mastectomy and wrote: If #NoBraDay was REALLY about breast cancer awareness, every tweet would have a pic like this, not topless selfies.”
Another woman, named Sasha Gilthorpe, tweeted: How does #NoBraDay ensure people actually take preventative measures like yearly mammograms? It doesn’t. Stop sexualizing breast cancer.”
These women have a point. Instead of a promotion that produces risqué selfies, how about a campaign that spreads information or shares survivor stories? Why not use the day to encourage friends and family to get a mammogram.
“As great and important as it is to support breast cancer, taking your bra off doesn’t do a whole lot to help the cause (although it probably will result in some creepy DMs),” Women’s Health concludes. “Because breast cancer awareness is about so much more than posting a picture.”
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