Pink Bra Helps Women in Pakistan Detect Breast Cancer

Designed at Tonic International (a Dubai based advertising agency) and produced in partnership with Pink Ribbon Pakistan, the Pink Bra turns the everyday action of slipping money inside the bra into a breast cancer self-examination exercise.

Pakistan has the highest incidence rate of breast cancer in Asia. Most women from the lower socio-economic group lack even basic awareness and do not like to speak about it publicly.

This silence claimed the lives of 40,000 women in Pakistan, last year alone. Doctor Rufina Soomro, one of Pakistan’s leading breast cancer experts says, “Most women think it’s immoral and inappropriate to speak about breast cancer. These cultural taboos hinder awareness campaigns in Pakistan”.

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These taboos also make it impossible to speak to underprivileged women about breast cancer. According to Tonic, the Pink Bra overcomes cultural taboos and helps women save their own lives.

It borrows from a local insight- underprivileged women tuck money and valuables inside their bra. The idea turned this everyday action into a breast cancer self-examination exercise.

It looks like an ordinary bra but it comes with pockets. Inside the pockets are raised tactile outlines. So every time women slip money inside their bra, the raised tactile outlines will guide their hand and tell them where exactly to press to self-examine.

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Easy to understand illustrations, inside the bra, explain each step of the self-examination in detail.

Mr. Omer Aftab, CEO and founder of Pink Ribbon Pakistan says, “The Pink Bra is a simple idea that can create awareness amongst many women on the basic standards of self-examination and knowledge that could save their lives.”

To ensure the bra discreetly reaches underprivileged women for free, an online campaign was launched. The #giveapinkbra movement urged upper-class women to gift the bra to the underprivileged women working around them.

An online video, a microsite, radio and print advertisements set the campaign rolling.

Pink Ribbon Pakistan is a non-funded, self-sustained campaign, mostly supported by donations and driven by a large number of volunteers all over the country.

It was founded in 2004, with a mission to become a Centre of Excellence for Breast Care Information. Pink Ribbon is now in the process of setting up Pakistan’s first dedicated Breast Cancer Hospital to reduce the breast cancer mortality rate.