Do you remember seeing wrists clad with rubber bracelets in a plethora of colors, with “i love boobies! (keep a breast),” and a heart symbol replacing the word on nearly every teenage wrist. If you have never owned one, maybe you remember your siblings having them. These bracelets were a super popular trend in the mid- 2000’s and early 2010’s.
Growing up, there were always trends and fads of silly little objects that we all collectively obsessed over. From Silly Bands to Squinkies, you’ve likely had them all, and if you didn’t you begged for them. Within these fads, the appetite for the “i love boobies!” bracelets were insatiable, especially for high schoolers– that is until most schools banned them because they were “inappropriate.” As the trend grew, it took schools roughly two years to begin banning these bracelets, as schools often do when it comes to object-related trends.
The thing about these bracelets, unlike other trends, is that they are the furthest thing from inappropriate. Rather, they are for an incredibly great cause. These bracelets were created by the Keep a Breast Foundation as a way to raise money for breast cancer awareness and get younger people talking. They held immense meaning and aimed to support awareness.
According to the Keep A Breast foundation, “Young people all over the world have been loving boobies since 2008! Keep A Breast’s ‘i love boobies!’ put the message of shame-free breast awareness in the global spotlight. Our signature i love boobies! bracelets opened the door for millions of young people to talk, blog, write, and spread the message about breast cancer awareness and prevention for the first time,” according to the foundation’s website. “We designed it to spark a dialogue… To remove the shame associated with breasts and breast health, and this message represents our positive approach to breast cancer dialogue. This resonates with young people and encourages them to be open and active about breast cancer prevention.”
Luckily, in 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court sided against the schools’ bans, ultimately seeing the value in them. While it is understandable why anything breast-related may seem inappropriate in a school setting, spreading the message of breast cancer awareness amongst the younger generations is imperative to keep the message and conversation going.
I personally cannot remember the last time I saw someone wearing one of these bracelets. When I reached high school, and now in college, I noticed it is rare to see those thick rubber bands proclaiming a love for boobies wrapped around wrists.
It’s kind of sad.
This is my official proclamation to get everyone over to their local Zumiez, onto the Keep A Breast website, or onto Amazon to go get themselves an “i love boobies!” bracelet and bring the trend back.
While we have a plethora of social media sites to broadcast our voice and support of breast cancer and the awareness for it, visibly showing that support in a way that can get others talking is important!
Let’s start donning colorful bracelets, proclaiming our love for boobies and support for breast cancer again! Let’s keep that conversation going, never letting stigma rise to the point where a conversation about breasts is “inappropriate.” Breasts are a part of the body, one worth talking about and raising awareness for. Breast cancer awareness is appropriate– even placed on a bracelet on the wrist of a teen or a young adult. Whatever your age, let’s show our support, especially during the month of Oct., the dedicated month of breast cancer awareness.
After all, who doesn’t love boobies?
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