If you didn’t know, today is #NoBraDay, intended to raise “awareness” of breast cancer, much in the same way that pink football jerseys do. The hashtag encourages people to post selfies of their breasts without a bra (though typically contained in a shirt).
The campaign has murky origins, but allegedly began in 2011 by Facebook user “Anastasia Doughnuts,” according to the International Business Times. The date appeared to be July 9, but at some point it changed to October, which Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The original Facebook page hasn’t been updated since last October, but its most recent post calls for raising awareness of the disease.
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Though it perhaps has good intentions, the hashtag is rubbing a lot of people the wrong way. Much like the backlash against the Save the Tatas campaign, #NoBraDay has been accused of focusing on the breasts themselves instead of the people behind the breasts. And, much like last year, it has a lot of people talking.
Here are the most common reactions people are having to #NoBraDay:
The “Stop sexualizing breasts, this is a real problem” reaction:
As someone whose mother died of breast cancer, fuuuuuuuuuuck #NoBraDay. By all means, take cute selfies. But don't pretend it's for this.
— Mara “Get Rid of the Nazis” Wilson (@MaraWilson) October 13, 2015
Jaya Saxena is a lifestyle writer and editor whose work focuses primarily on women's issues and web culture. Her writing has appeared in GQ, ELLE, the Toast, the New Yorker, Tthe Hairpin, BuzzFeed, Racked, Eater, Catapult, and others. She is the co-author of 'Dad Magazine,' the author of 'The Book Of Lost Recipes,' and the co-author of 'Basic Witches.'
