Is National No Bra Day Just an Excuse For Nip Slip Pix?

Yesterday, October 13, was National No Bra Day, an annual event meant to promote breast cancer awareness and to help raise money for research. But many pundits pointed out that the day actually served to further titillate and sexualize women's breasts, instead of raising any money for research or encouraging women to get screened for breast cancer.

"Many women who have survived breast cancer are unable to go without a bra as they need it to hold their prosthesis after surgery. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and National No Bra Day should serve as a reminder for all women to be screened for breast cancer," posted the National Day Calendar, one of the few sites that made screening a priority in this 'holiday,' reported to have been created in 2011.

"Make an appointment for a mammogram. Use #NoBraDay or #NationalNoBraDay when posting on social media. Make a contribution to the American Cancer Society or Susan G. Komen for the Cure," is written on the site.

But more critics have come forward to complain that the movement is just another way to sexualize women. In a recent NY Daily News article, Nina Golgowski wrote that across social media, women and men were recognizing National No Bra Day by posting photos of themselves topless.

"#NoBraDay, which became one of Tuesday's trending hashtags, has led to plenty of photos showing mastectomy scars as well as jokes and claims that it focuses entirely on free boob shots, not early detection for one of the most deadly diseases for women," she wrote.
Actress Mara Wilson tweeted that "As someone whose mother died of breast cancer, f^*k #NoBraDay. By all means, take cute selfies. But don't pretend it's for this."

A UK website recognized the day by beginning, "Boobies are Fantastic... we all think so," and ending, "P.S. Ladies.... Wearing a white t-shirt on this day is not only acceptable, but encouraged!"

Only at the very end did it mention that "Breast Cancer is something you should take seriously and be checked for." Oh, okay. Thanks for the news flash.

CNET also slammed the campaign, saying that many people were upset over photos like that of Selena Gomez in a see-through shirt, with readers like Victoria Loye Tweeting "I find #NoBraDay very distasteful. Please don't sexualize the disease that keeps killing my family members & that I am at high risk for."

"It's an 'Awareness Day' that's not even real, that's not raising awareness, certainly isn't raising money, and may even be embarrassing the charities that it is mistakenly being linked to," echoed Louise Ridley, an assistant news editor at Huffington Post UK, in a Tuesday post titled "Why I Will Not Be Supporting the Giant Internet Hoax That Is '#NoBraDay.'" Some readers even suggested that they change #NoBraDay to #ScheduleAMammogramDay, to actually do something that helps raise awareness about breast cancer.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation is not recognizing No Bra Day, but is commemorating National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with fundraisers, survivor's stories and information on how to screen for breast cancer.