You’re in the shower. You shampoo, then conditioner, then you check you boobs, right? Breast Cancer Awareness Charity CoppaFeel! is currently taking over your bathrooms to convince you to do just that – to incorporate checking your boobs into your daily routine.
Founded in 2009 by Kris Hallenga, who discovered an unwanted lump in her boob at the age of 23, CoppaFeel! aims to take the taboo away from Breast Cancer and to get young people to check their boobs. Next time you trek all the way up Forum Hill to the Sport’s Park, you’ll notice CoppaFeel! stickers in the showers, what better place to check those puppies?
The main message is getting people to know their boobs, so it’s easier to spot any changes. You need to know #whatnormalfeelslike. Too many women, and men, die of breast cancer due to late detection. Currently over 2000 cases are diagnosed at stage 4 each year – there is no stage 5. This is unnecessary.
CoppaFeel! has many fantastic campaigns, such as #BreastMates and #Boobettes, which are both regularly featured on ITV’s Lorraine and ITVBe. This incredible charity has also enlisted the support of lots of famous faces, such as Fearne Cotton, Greg James and Giovanna Fletcher.
Greg James in particular is involved with the CoppaFeel! Uni Boob Teams, which are teams of boob-conscious students who are spreading the boob love around campus. Here at Exeter, Emily May is the Exeter Uni Boob Team Leader, and we caught up with her to chat all things ‘boob’.
So Emily, tell us about Exeter Uni Boob Team, what do you do?
We’re a group of students who love boobs and want to keep them healthy and happy. We run around in boob costumes and make boob cakes to get people talking about breast cancer. It shouldn’t be a scary conversation, we want people to get to know their boobs so that when something changes they can go and have a chat with their doctor about it. We also run a great text service which send you a free monthly text reminder to check those boobs – just text UBT EXETER to 70500.
Why did you get involved in CoppaFeel?
Cancer affects everyone, and breast cancer is one of the biggest killers. Before coming across CoppaFeel!, I didn’t even know that I was at risk. I thought of breast cancer as a ‘grown up’ issue, something that I wouldn’t have to think about for years. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. CoppaFeel! are spreading such an important message, and in a fun way too. There are no scare tactics, just people chatting about boobs.
Where will we find you on Campus?
This week is a big one for us – BOOB WEEK! So you will see us in the Forum on Tuesday selling boob cakes, dressed as boobs and talking about boobs. We would love to chat to some new people and hopefully raise some money at the same time.
Then Tuesday night is the boob extravaganza. You might have seen our Mean Girls event on Facebook? We’re going to start off in Walkabout (where everybody, with or without a ticket is welcome!) for a boob themed pres and then we’re going to dance the night away in Unit 1.
And finally, why is it important to raise awareness about breast cancer in young people?
Getting into the habit of checking your boobs could save your life. The earlier you start, the more you’ll get to know what your ‘normal’ feels like. Most people are like I was, and didn’t even know they should even be checking themselves. Plus boobs are great and touching them is fun!
So there you go collegiettes, get checking those boobs! And also check out Exeter Uni Boob Team’s Facebook page, Twitter account, and Instagram page. For any extra information about what CoppaFeel! do visit their website and get involved!