October marks Breast Cancer Awareness month, and October 16th is annually observed as "no bra day". On October 16th, 2019 women are encouraged to ditch their bras and take to social media using the hashtag "#NoBraDay" to raise awareness of the symptoms of breast cancer, means of self-examination.
Some people observe the day solely as a way to encourage breast cancer awareness, while others use the day as a spin off of the "#FreeTheNipple" hashtag, promoting gender equality among the nipples. Either way, the original event known as "BRA Day" was created by Toronto plastic surgeon Dr. Mitchell Brown. The first BRA Day event, titled "Breast Reconstruction – An Evening of Learning and Sharing", was held in Toronto, Canada at Women's College Hospital and Toronto General Hospital on October 19, 2011. Dr. Brown found that many Canadian women who underwent a mastectomy due to breast cancer resisted undergoing reconstructive surgery. He founded "Breast Reconstruction Awareness" (BRA) Day to increase women's awareness of the availability of reconstructive breast surgery. The event was adopted in the following October in the United States.
In 2012, about 400,000 individuals ditched their bras to take part in No Bra Day. 250,000 of those people posting to their No Bra Day contributions to Facebook. As of 2018 the day was observed by people in 30 countries, including New Zealand, Romania, Malaysia, Scotland, India, and Ghana.
The day isn't without controversary. Jean Sachs, CEO of Living Beyond Breast Cancer, thinks No Bra Day is offensive. "I mean breast cancer is a life-threatening illness. It has nothing to do with wearing a bra or not wearing a bra."
Gayle Sulik, founder and executive director of the Breast Cancer Consortium, said, "But we don't really pay attention to what's going on with breast cancer. That's a hugely damaging impact of this sort of message".
It's estimated that in Canada in 2019 26,900 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. This represents 25% of all new cancer cases in women in 2019. As well, this year alone 5,000 Canadian women will die from breast cancer.
In Canada there are events held country wide to celebrate No Bra Day, and include panels, educational conferences, and self-screening workshops. If you're in Canada and interested in attending a No Bra Day event near you, click here.
Written by: Devon Clare Banfield
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