A Different Kind of Oktoberfest: Wear It Pink 2014

By Jen Birch –
Coming Together in the Fight Against Breast Cancer

Image courtesy of USAG- Humphreys  (via Flickr Creative Commons, some rights reserved)


Women over 50 hear it time and again: once you reach a certain age, checking yourself for signs of breast cancer is just the responsible thing to do. A few years ago, LivingBetter50 published a quick guide to checking yourself for lumps or other abnormalities, expressing just how important it is for you to take charge of your body, and with Breast Cancer Awareness Month here, it’s high time we start looking into ways to spread the word about breast cancer.

fall scents for your home

Statistics from the American Cancer Authority show that every year, breast cancer is responsible for 1 in 36 deaths in women, with more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the US alone. Thankfully, breast cancer rates have stabilized in the past decade, but the fight against this disease continues, and this October, we see many different campaigns begin to raise breast cancer awareness.

One such campaign is the wear it pink campaign in the UK, which has been running for 13 years. Everyone has, at some point, come across a pink ribbon, meant to symbolize breast cancer awareness, and maybe they’ve also been talked into donning a pink shirt for the cause. The wear it pink campaign follows the same principles, albeit in a more fashionable sense, so those who wish to support the cause but don’t want to commit fashion faux pas can also join in.

Various resources have been made available on the wear it pink website for people who want to start their own fundraising campaigns in school, at work, or at home, with suggestions for wear it pink parties and events, eliminating the old idea that fundraises are dull and boring, and showing that a splash of color is a great way to add life to any fundraiser.

Of course, some breast cancer awareness campaigns have also been criticized for focusing too much on spreading awareness and not giving enough attention to actual research for prevention and cure. Thankfully, the wear it pink campaign involves itself in raising funds for research, with millions being donated to keep breast cancer research programs alive.

As with any other campaign, it’s normal for you to think that you small efforts won’t make a difference, but a new infographic on Foxy Bingo shows just what even the smallest amount raised for breast cancer research can do. According to the infographic, small amounts such as “£8, the cost of a cinema ticket, provides a day’s worth of laboratory chemicals for a Breast Cancer Campaign funded scientist to use in experiments into possible cures for breast cancer”, and bigger amounts can help everyone from actual researchers to students studying to become specialists in the future.

Foxy Breast cancer campaign - static_infographic

There is an undeniably large pool of breast cancer awareness campaigns from all over the world, and it often takes a discerning eye to be able to figure out which campaigns are more honest than others. The wear it pink campaign surely makes a strong case, however, presenting everyone with a convenient, fun way to get involved.

Jen is a UK-based writer who is passionate about women’s health and an advocate of tech that helps promote child learning and development. When not writing about the latest fitness app or sharing her thoughts about vegan diets, she can usually be found on Twitter @WrittenbyJenni.

1 thought on “A Different Kind of Oktoberfest: Wear It Pink 2014”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

A Different Kind of Oktoberfest: Wear It Pink 2014
Scroll to Top