Brassieres designed with sequins, feathers, flowers and ribbons to raise awareness for breast cancer? It might not be anything like the usual fundraising concert for cancer that we hear about once in awhile, but the “Creating for a Cause” event held Friday morning at the Breast Care Center of the Intermountain Medical Center was highly successful all the same.
Around three hundred men and women participated in the event where artists each personalized a bra as their contribution to spreading awareness about breast cancer.
“Madonna, Madonna,” chanted 57-year old cancer survivor Zinik as she installed cones on the brassiere she was designing.
Zinik, a former manager of the chemistry department of the University of Utah, has actually had both breasts removed and has undergone chemotherapy and reconstructive surgery – events in her life, which have inspired her to try to make women more aware of the importance of getting mammograms.
She explained that “if you catch it early” one’s survival chances improve dramatically.
A considerable portion of the funding from the event is going to be used to allow women who don’t have enough insurance to undergo mammograms.
Brent Parkinson, Breast Care Center medical director, revealed an interesting reason for the event being held in Utah: the women of the state rank second from the bottom in the nation in terms of getting mammograms, tests that he believes are the only ones proven in allowing early detection of breast cancer, and in turn, saving women from breast cancer’s worst consequences.
Aside from the brassiere-designing portion of “Creating for a Cause”, thirteen well-known artists in Utah contributed their works of art inspired by cancer and unveiled them at the event.
As soon as artist Leia Bell was contacted, she immediately gave her consent to be included. She contributed her painting named after the famous The Smiths song “There Is A Light That Will Never Go Out”. She was also additionally inspired by the death of a friend due to breast cancer the previous summer.
Bell shared that she just wanted her work to somehow be “a celebration of life” despite the fact that it was heavily influenced by a death’s friend.
Another painter, Heather Barron, starred the image of a monarch butterfly in her work of art as a symbol of the battle that women wage against breast cancer. She explains that although the butterfly is a very small and delicate creature, “it has a hidden strength”.
Many of these paintings were purchased by the event’s attendees, some being sold for thousands of dollars.
Brassieres being used as a means for women to be able to speak their minds is very similar to what Spurst Apparel and Lingerie believes its lingerie does for women.
Professionals from Spurst reveals that the moment a woman puts on lingerie, it actually communicates a particular message. For example, a Retro Bra and Skirt Set can say, “I want to go back to the good old times”, while the Fast Lane Set can be a way for a woman to communicate that she’s looking to have an adventurous night with her partner.
They also believe that the only real limitation in terms of communicating a message through lingerie is a woman’s imagination – and most women certainly have a lot of that.
References:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsmoviecricket/56919062-66/breast-center-cancer-care.html.csp
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment2/56929412-223/breast-cancer-event-care.html.csp