Observed since the early 1900s, International Women’s Day remains a prominent day of appreciation and celebration of women’s progression and achievements throughout history. Spanning from social to political and economic issues, women who were previously denied voices, began to emerge and demand recognition, in aspects including a woman’s right to vote and equality in the workplace. It is undeniable that society today owes a great deal to the sacrifices and determination of women’s groups and campaigns for an improved and fairer society. History has seen the impact and importance of women working together to achieve something beneficial to all.
A perfect example of the advantages of unity amongst women is the way they stand behind multiple campaigns for breast cancer awareness. One of its campaigns include bra banks, in which women can deposit their old bras in one of these nifty bright pink banks and they will be sent to Africa to aid their textile industry and improve lives of many families involved. Not only this, but it raises money for research into breast cancer, and if that wasn’t enough, it is also a good way of the bras avoiding an eternity confined to a landfill site. This is such a monumental campaign as it not only highlights the power of unity amongst women but it shows how this unity can have a positive and long lasting impact on life, not just in the UK.
The bra banks also help women in their openness about breast cancer, by just seeing women donating their bras in that iconic pink box can make a world of difference and bring a sense unity to the suffering that comes with breast cancer.
The Big Bra Hunt by Oxfam UK is another opportunity for women to give their bras a new lease of life either in the UK or all the way in Senegal where they are sold through their social enterprise, Frip Ethique. The money goes to battling poverty throughout the country and around the world. While The Big Bra Hunt may be misinterpreted as going against women’s rights, Oxfam claim ‘All communications around the campaign are designed to avoid objectifying women’s bodies or sexualising bras’. It is absolutely vital that it is the hard work of the women in this campaign that is illuminated and remains at the heart of the project. In fact, it is interesting to point out that it is the women on the front line of Senegal’s social enterprise that request the bras, as they are the most valuable items when it comes to selling them on to the local markets.
So, by keeping up the donations of bras over here, we can do our bit to support the women of Senegal by securing their employment and bettering their lives through the social change brought about the monetary investment made to fight poverty.
1) Oxfam quote and information found at: https://www.oxfam.org.uk/donate/the-big-bra-hunt
Post Author: Raeesa Mukhtar
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