This year marks 35 years since October was designated Breast Cancer Awareness month in our country. Each year, organizations and companies of all types campaign to increase awareness of the disease and overarching breast health in hopes of saving lives.
A few important US breast cancer stats to note:
- An estimated 1 in 8 US women will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime.
- More than 42,000 women in the US are expected to die from breast cancer this year alone.
- Although a lot less common, men are also susceptible to developing invasive breast cancer (over 2,600 men are expected to receive a diagnosis this year).
- In women under 45, breast cancer is more common in Black women than white women (and Black women are more likely to die of breast cancer).
- While women with a close relative who has been diagnosed with breast cancer are at higher risk for developing the disease, an estimated 85% of breast cancers occur in women with no family history.
Without saying, these numbers are pretty scary to think about. But they’re important. As women, our awareness of this threat (and our commitment to regular self-checks and mammograms) can be the difference between life and death.
That’s why I’m so surprised that so many big, popular companies in the fitness and wellness industry, especially those that market products toward women, don’t have Breast Cancer Awareness campaigns or donation efforts this year!
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think one-off marketing campaigns featuring pink ribbons and catchy slogans about boobs will single handedly change outcomes for women in our country. But I’m shocked that some of my favorite brands aren’t making a clearer effort to serve their target demographic in this way.
I mean, if you make money selling sports bras, it’d be nice to know you care about what goes in them!
Note: I actually reached out to a few of my favorite brands via Instagram DM—super classy *wink face*—to inquire about any breast cancer awareness gear and received a few “not this year, but soon” responses. Not necessarily what I wanted to hear, but I appreciated the effort!
With all that said, here is an all-too-short list of companies that are actively driving breast cancer awareness this month.
Athleta
In all honesty, while I’d visited a store once or twice before, I’d never bought anything from Athleta before a few days ago. But once I saw their “Power of Pink” breast cancer awareness efforts on the front page of the website, I immediately placed an order.
This month, Athleta is featuring three pink sports bras–in inclusive sizes, may I add–to highlight their commitment to and support of “all women who know someone, are someone, love someone on their journey with breast cancer.” As a part of this effort, they highlighted the stories of Paige More and Bianca Muniz, the founders of The Bresties Organization. And y’all, these interviews are must reads!
I got the Ultimate Bra, and I love it! I wore it during a run and a quick yoga session and I would highly recommend.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any information about whether or not Athleta has committed to any monetary contributions to cancer research funds or similar efforts, but I quickly reminded myself that there are other ways to “support” such a huge initiative. I intend to wear my new pink bra as a conversation starter and a reminder that my health (and my breasts) deserve alllll the attention this month!
Aerie
As a former brand Ambassador, I was pretty confident that Aerie–a brand committed to highlight REAL, diverse women in its marketing–would have merchandise in support of breast cancer awareness. And I was right!
Aerie has partnered with Bright Pink, a non-profit dedicated to prevention & early detection of breast & ovarian cancers in young women, for 12 years now and has donated millions of dollars to Bright Pink. This year, 100% of the sales from this limited edition t-shirt (which highlights the happiest boobs I’ve ever seen) benefit the organization.
UPDATE: Only 4 days into the month, and the Bright Pink shirt appears to be sold out! While I’m excited that it was so popular, I’m bummed that I won’t be getting one of my own. I’m looking for similar styles through other sources, so stay tuned!
Fabletics
If you follow any major social media influencers these days, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about Fabletics. The brand has really fashion-forward, colorful workout/athleisure options at really reasonable prices. And while I don’t currently have a Fabletics membership (you know, I’m watching my coins these days), I was gifted a great pair of Fabletics leggings a few years back that I wear all the time.
This month, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Fabletics is selling the Fighter 3-Piece Bundle. Fabletics is donating 10% of the proceeds from this set–which includes a pair of joggers, a pullover, and a really cute bra–to Bright Pink (mentioned above).
Note: these pieces are super cute and have great reviews, but it looks like you have to buy the entire bundle in order to ensure Bright Pink receives the financial contribution.
Honorable Mentions
While I couldn’t find anything specific on their individual company websites, brands like Nike, Under Armour, and Adidas have a few products on third party sites like Dicks Sporting Goods. It wasn’t entirely clear, however, whether any proceeds were supporting breast cancer foundations, research, or awareness efforts (or if they were categorized as breast cancer awareness items simply because they are pink). Either way, I think most of these products do a great job from an awareness front and can be great conversation starters for those who wear them.
In the future, I’m really hoping more fitness brands join in on the efforts to support breast cancer and overall breast health.
Do you know of any brands that I left off the list? Let me know!
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