Can I just start by saying that being a girl is extremely frustrating sometimes, it really is. And a lot of people don’t seem to realise this fact. First of all our bodies are like war zones, ask some woman what they go through every month and subsequent stages in their lives (*cough* menopause). But we are expected to be sexy all the time in a freaking war zone. Those aren’t even the challenges I’m thinking about right now. It’s October!! Breast AND prostate cancer awareness month, yes AND prostate cancer awareness month. A lot of people leave out the second part, why? Because male genitalia isn’t sexy I guess. And that’s exactly what happens; breast cancer has been extremely sexualised. Supporting it has been packaged like this ‘boobs are sexy, so let’s protect the sexy’. We’ve kind of lost the plot as whole when it comes to this. It stopped being about awareness, education of the disease, going for check-ups regularly, counselling those affected by it (those with cancer and their families) and how to be proactive about the disease that is claiming millions of lives and leaving families incomplete.

Instead what we have is No Bra Day October 13 to support breast cancer awareness, and that campaign leaves me perplexed. How in the world does not wearing a bra help spread breast cancer awareness? How is not wearing a bra educating people and making people aware? Shouldn’t I donate money or something useful instead?

It may have started off as a catchy and hip way of informing people and reminding them that it is indeed breast cancer awareness day/month, but in all honesty No Bra Day annoys me. What we have instead is people (especially the youth) online, on social media and in other avenues talking about this day like it’s about not wearing bras point blank period and not what it should be about, breast cancer awareness. Being aware that this is a disease that is killing people, it’s not something to laugh or joke about. It has become an extremely sexualised day, and that’s why prostate cancer awareness is not in the forefront with breast cancer awareness, and another thing men can and do get breast cancer too. They also need to get checked and be vigilant. But man boobs are not sexy I guess. Men don’t often get sexualised at the same level that women do, be it in toothpaste commercials or commercials for cooking oil. It does not matter what it is, but for some reason [*cough cough* patriarchy] when a woman is involved her sexuality/sexiness or sometimes lack thereof gets mentioned, whether it is relevant or not. And when that happens we get this…

A lot of people don’t seem to understand what’s wrong with this picture that is being widely shared on their internet on social media. It’s a modified version of one of the first pictures that I posted. Can you see it? Have you realised what’s wrong with the picture? No it’s not the addition of the words ‘set the tatas free’ (because bras are like jail right?).  It’s the deletion of a few words that completely warps the intended message. This picture insinuates that we are now SUPPORTING breast cancer and not the awareness of it. And that is what happens when wanting to be sexy becomes more important that the message, because the society we live in right now kinda, sorta sucks.

And so I’ll reiterate being a girl can be frustrating sometimes other than the fact that I have a body part that’s trying to kill me.