CoppaFeel! launch their #BraHijack campaign

Breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel! have launched their latest #BraHijack campaign in a bid to remind young women to regularly check their breasts.

Breast cancer is a disease that currently affects 1 in 8 women in the UK. Every woman at some point in her life will be affected by the disease, whether it’s a personal diagnosis, or that of a friend, family member or work colleague.

Recent research conducted by CoppaFeel! reveals that women under the age of 30 do not check their breasts regularly for the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, and are in fact more likely to go and have their eyes checked by an optician than they are to do a simple at-home check of their breasts.

In a bid to create more awareness of breast cancer self-checks, CoppaFeel! are launching their new #BraHijack campaign nationwide. As part of the #BraHijack campaign, CoppaFeel! is appealing to lingerie retailers across the UK to introduce a small label inside all bras, carrying breast-checking reminders.

CoppaFeel! advise that the #BraHijack label can be simply sewn into all bras with the care label; the label will act as a daily reminder to women of all ages to check their breasts as part of their daily regime.

Self-checking is an essential part of detecting breast cancer, with most breast cancers detected through this method. It is therefore key that women self-check their breasts regularly in order to detect and report to their GP or nurse any changes or abnormalities as early as possible.

For women unsure of how to check their breasts, they can rest assured that there is no exact or specific method to do so. Kris Hallenga, founder of CoppaFeel! explained: “There is in fact no right or wrong way, it’s simply about getting to know what they look like and feel like normally, and having the confidence to see a doctor if things aren’t quite right.”

It was widely reported in the news last year that Britain is falling behind other developed countries worldwide when it comes to the survival rates of the disease, due to late diagnosis. Thanks to charities such as CoppaFeel! who aim to educate young people about breast cancer in order to ensure that the disease is diagnosed at the earliest stage possible, these survival rates should rise.

CoppaFeel! believe that targeting young women for their #BraHijack campaign is the best way to change British women’s attitude towards self-checking. Behavioural change expert, Claire McDonald explained this theory: “We know that we need to provide information and triggers to women and girls at the moment they are most likely and most able to act upon them. The label in the bra provides an important and constant reminder for women when they are most able to put this life-saving advice into practice. This is a unique opportunity that no other medium presents to develop life-long healthy habits.”

Popular lingerie brand Curvy Kate have already committed to adding the #BraHijack label to all of the bras they sell from January 2014, whilst clothing catalogue and online retailer Very have announced that in 2014 they will place the label in 30,000 bras in their Sorbet Flirty Lace range. 

Victoria Beckett

For further information about CoppaFeel!’s #BraHijack campaign visit their website, or alternatively check out their Facebook page.

To read how Curvy Kate plan to support the #BraHijack campaign visit here.