Facebook's sexy bra stunt
Did a breast-cancer initiative urging women to describe their bras on Facebook raise awareness — or just turn men on?
This weekend, Facebook newsfeeds exploded with a rainbow of terse but colorful updates — "blue," "pink," "black and lacy" — mystifying social networkers. The culprit: A message chain urging women to post their bra colors in the name of breast cancer awareness: "Write the color, nothing else," the anonymous call-to-action read. "It will be fun to see how long it takes before the men will wonder why all the girls have a color in their status." Did the stunt, unsupported by the Breast Cancer Association, do any good — or was it just flirty "slacktivism"?
This isn't advocacy — it's flirtation: I have no doubt that the women who "virtually flashed" their Facebook friends were well-intentioned, says Mary Carmichael at Newsweek, but "this isn't awareness or education; it's titillation." This "pointless" meme didn't educate or inform. It only provided sexual fodder for fellow male Facebookers.
"What color is your bra? Facebook's pointless underwear protest"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
How… briefly exciting: I've been "noticing context-free posts like 'Black' or 'Misty Boysenberry'" on Facebook, says Adam Church at Manolith, and wondering, "Why are all the sexy, hip girls...talking about colors?" How deflating to discover that "just like every other time a cute girl approaches you," they're trying to sell you something, "in this case breast cancer awareness."
"Bra color status in Facebook is hot"
Bizarrely, the chain was effective: No one knows who originally posted the call to action, but this "full-blown fad" created real results, says Brigid Schute at The Washingon Post. After the chain went viral, it triggered an "unprecedented" spike in traffic for breast-cancer advocacy websites, and inspired some survivors to blog about their own "heart-wrenching" experiences, sparking an outpouring of sympathy.
"Solving the bra color Facebook puzzle"
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
............................................
SEE THE WEEK'S LATEST COVERAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA:
• 7 criminals who use Facebook shamelessly
• Meghan McCain: Twitter quitter
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published