What is Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

You’ve heard of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, not everyone truly understands the meaning of this fabulous occasion. October is all about investing in your chest, and giving love to the bosoms around the world. However, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is more about celebrating women, as opposed to celebrating cancer because that would just be odd. So wear your pink this month, ladies. We have 31 days that are just for us.

The Purpose

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual health campaign held every October that is dedicated to boobies. While major breast cancer charities started this 31-days of breast cancer awareness, plenty of smaller charities and individuals also get involved. The purpose of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to raise awareness, but to also raise funds for better research into the cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of breast cancer.

The Celebration

October is a month dedicated to all women. While the main cause is to raise awareness and funding, it’s also about showing love and support for women who are currently battling breast cancer; women who have battled breast cancer; women who lost their battle to breast cancer and simply put, to love and support women in general.

However, more and more cases of breast cancer in men are coming to light. So, October is also dedicated to supporting those men as well.

The History

The history of this boob-loving event dates back to October 1985. The American Cancer Society joined up with AstraZeneca (formerly Imperial Chemical Industries), who is a major producer of anti-breast cancer medications. The goal was to promote mammography as being the most effective tool to fight breast cancer.

 The Pink Ribbon

Come 1993, Senior Corporate Vice President of Estée Lauder, Evelyn Lauder founded The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, making the infamous pink ribbon the symbol of their breast cancer support. However, the ribbon was actually used to represent breast cancer awareness well before this. It’s believed that a woman by the name of Charlotte Haley was the first to use ribbons to bring attention to need for better funding. Though, she used peach ribbons as opposed to pink.

In 1991, another foundation by the name of Susan G. Komen Foundation handed out pink ribbons to everyone who participated in the NYC race for breast cancer survivors.

Fast-forward to 2016 and pink breast-cancer awareness ribbons can be found everywhere, from professional sport team jerseys to small town walks and everything in between. So, get involved this October. Your boobs deserve it!