BY ASHLEY CURRIE
They can be found on the arms of children, teenagers and people in their 20s and come in a plethora of colours. “I love boobies” bracelets are large rubber bands embossed with the phrase, but many people don’t know the meaning behind the jewelry.
They think it’s just a cheeky way to say something that otherwise might be inappropriate.
The “I love boobies” campaign was launched by the Keep A Breast (KAB) Foundation to “remove the shame associated with breasts and breast health”
KAB is a youth-focused, global, non-profit breast cancer organization.
According to their official website, (www.keep-a-breast.org) KAB’s mission is to “Eradicate breast cancer for future generations.” The I love boobies campaign specifically focuses on youth and tries to bring awareness to the issues by speaking to young people in their own voice.
Despite KAB’s campaign, it seems that some people are missing the message. Skylar Crawford is an employee at a popular clothing store (which has a policy against publishing the store name) in Kitchener’s Fairview Mall that carries the I Love Boobies bracelet which sells for $5. “People only know the foundation if we tell them,” she said. “It’s not a huge seller so I don’t talk about it much.”
It’s this missed message that has led to controversy. In 2010, two girls from Pennsylvania, aged 11 and 12, were suspended from school for wearing the bracelets. They sued the school district and, after support rallies and campaigns, a judge ruled in their favour in 2011.
Linda Adams-Hauser, an 18-year-old Guelph high school student, was equally confused about KAB.
“I have some I love boobies bracelets,” she said, but when asked if she knew where the money from her bracelets went she answered, “Don’t the proceeds go to the breast cancer foundation?” She was close. KAB takes the money they raise and distributes it to different breast cancer research and awareness programs that they run.
For more information on KAB, to purchase their merchandise or learn more about their programs, go to www.keep-a-breast.org
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