Internet slacktivism—that hated brand of awareness-raising that only calls upon people to post a picture or use a hashtag rather than actually donate to a worthy cause—is nothing new. Who can forget #StopKony, the social media campaign to hunt down a Ugandan warlord that yielded thousands of tweets and little else? And then of course, there was the Ice Bucket Challenge, a notable exception since it ultimately raised $100 million dollars for ALS, but many decried as an excuse for a glorified internet-wide wet t-shirt content—simply posting a video dousing yourself in ice water meant you didn’t ‘need’ to donate.
So now, faced with yet another social media phenomenon, the internet is picking up its collective pitchforks and setting them ablaze once more. #NoBraDay is exactly what it sounds like: a campaign encouraging women to go braless (which we normally whole-heartedly support) in an effort to get people talking about Breast Cancer. Individuals are marking the occasion with tweets and Instagrams showing off their goods.
But is a nipply photo really doing anything for those affected by cancer? Many people don’t think so. If you had any kind of childhood worth having, then you’re no stranger to Mara Wilson, who starred in some of the biggest classics of our generation, like Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire. Wilson took to Twitter and said pretty plainly what many are thinking:
As someone whose mother died of breast cancer, fuuuuuuuuuuck #NoBraDay. By all means, take cute selfies. But don't pretend it's for this.
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWilson) October 13, 2015
But it doesn’t stop there. Some think this is sexualizing something that we should take more seriously.
A little sensitivity to those affected, like, maybe not thrusting your healthy breasts in their faces, might get a kinder way to go.
Don't believe for a second that #NoBraDay is about saving lives, it's not. It's about self congratulatory attention seeking.
— HamberderHelper (@BewareTheFurry) October 13, 2015
Others lampoon the day for its pretty blatant self-congratulatory photo display. You can’t help but read subtext into these selfies, “See how nice and perky my boobs look? It’s like I don’t even need a bra LOL.”
Sure, you can argue that any awareness is better than none, but if you really love the women in your life and the breasts attached to them, do them a favor and give them a picture they might actually need, like this chart about how to give yourself a breast exam.
The boobs of the world need our help, guys. Let’s not stop at a hashtag.
Photos by Getty Images