Lifelike ‘Breast Tissue’ Bras Help Women With Darker Skin Spot Signs Of Cancer

Here’s a grim statistic: Black women have a 40% higher fatality rate than their White peers. One reason for this stark difference could be that women of color often only detect signs of the disease when it has manifested in the latter stages.

As such, underwear brand Love & Nudes collaborated with advertising agency McCann Toronto to create a line of bras—the Stage Zero Collection—to help women with darker skin tones recognize symptoms of breast cancer earlier.

This collection of bras differs from the usual ones hanging at department stores, as it allows the wearer to see, touch, and feel the telltale signs of the ailment. One can feel how symptoms might present in the body, such as via swelling, lumps, or discoloration.

The scientifically accurate, 3D-printed attachments—true to size and placement—took over 18 months of trials and production to perfect, with finishing touches later added on by a make-up artist to reflect the subtle color changes on the skin.

Chantal Carter, Founder of Love & Nudes, told The Drum that the usual breast cancer diagnosis tools have been designed with white skin in mind, such as identifying for signs of redness. However, these symptoms show up differently on darker skin tones, making them harder to spot.

In addition, Dr Mojola Omole, the surgical oncologist and chief medical officer behind the collection, wants to lower the screening age for Black women in Canada from 50 to 40, who are predisposed to early-onset triple-negative breast cancer. Check out the petition here.

[via The Drum and Love & Nudes, images via Love & Nudes]