TikTokOctober is #BreastCancerAwareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness of the disease and supporting those living with and affected by it.
In the UK around 55,000 women and 370 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Despite being the most common cancer in females aged 25-49 in the UK, a quarter of young people aren’t aware breast cancer could affect them.
Join the conversation
Throughout the month, we've been partnering with breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel! to encourage young people to check in with themselves and learn about how breast cancer can impact us all, through the hashtag #BreastCancerAwareness.
CoppaFeel!’s mission is to give all young people the best chance of surviving breast cancer by ensuring that every case is diagnosed early and correctly. To do this, the charity drives greater awareness in young people, not only giving them the tools to check, but the confidence to seek help if they notice a change, and the reassurance that they are the best advocates for themselves and their health.
Meg Green, CoppaFeel! Social Media Manager says “Our new campaign #KnowYourself is all about shifting the common narrative around breast cancer to demonstrate that knowing your body and your chest is just as empowering as it is life-saving. TikTok is a fantastic platform to not only raise awareness of breast cancer, but to demonstrate our checking guidance in a format that is accessible, digestible and ultimately relevant to the lives of 18-24 year olds.”
We've been amazed at the incredible content that we've been seeing from our community, who have been showing us the importance of checking your breasts, as well as why Breast Cancer Awareness Month is so vital. From @drblondiepes talking through how to do a simple breast exam in just 30 seconds, to @kirstieb88 documenting her breast cancer journey on TikTok, we've been inspired by how our community has been spreading the word.
CoppaFeel! patron Fearne Cotton, @drnighatarif and @_thislineismine have been showing us how they all check their boobs
@florence.simpson and @hebontheweb stress the importance of regularly checking your breasts
@drjuliesmith has shared her experience of going for a breast check up at the doctors and emphasises that it is important to get the reassurance that you need
@drchintalskitchen shows us how to examine your breasts in five easy steps
@period.harmony have created a series all about being your 'breast' self, including a special breast cancer edition
@ellaellaw talks you through CoppaFeel!'s free self checkout resource, and how you can use it to get to know your chest
LIVE events in partnership with CoppaFeel
And this week, to round off the month, the CoppaFeel! team will be hosting two LIVEs on the platform. The first is with Fearne Cotton on 27 October at 11.15am over on @HappyPlaceOfficial, and she'll be joined by Lucy, who was diagnosed at the age of 26 and will be sharing her personal experience on behalf of CoppaFeel!.
Giovanna Fletcher will be hosting a LIVE later on 29 October at 5pm with Kris Hallenga, one of the founders of CoppaFeel!, to talk all things boobs, pecs, chests and the importance of knowing them and speaking to a doctor if you notice anything unusual for you.
By raising awareness of the disease, we hope that our community feels empowered to check their breasts, pecs and chests and get any advice they might need about breast cancer.
New to TikTok and want to explore content around Breast Cancer Awareness? Follow #BreastCancerAwareness to follow or share stories about the ways that breast cancer impacts all of us.
