CoppaFeel! is a breast cancer awareness charity, based in London. The charity focuses on promoting early detection of breast cancer by encouraging woman under 30 to regularly check their breasts.
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CoppaFeel! is currently a charity partner of Cosmopolitan magazine.
History
CoppaFeel! was founded in 2009 by twin sisters Kristin and Maren Hallenga, after Kristin was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 23. Because of a late diagnosis, Kristin Hallenga lives with stage four breast cancer. Despite Hallenga's having a family history of cancer, doctors originally dismissed a tumor on Kristin’s breast as “hormonal”.
Driven by the difficult experience, Kristin and Maren, devoted themselves to educating young women about the dangers of late diagnosis, and launched CoppaFeel! at Beach Break Live in 2009.
CoppaFeel!’s mission and values
"I want everyone to know that cancer doesn’t conform to the over-40s rule we try to impose on it; and that getting to know your boobs from a young age, and making checking them regularly a habit of a lifetime you could save your life one day."
- Kristin Hallenga.
"...to live in a world where all breast cancers are diagnosed at the earliest stage possible, at which treatments are more effective and survival rates are higher."
- CoppaFeel!'s vision statement.
CoppaFeel! tackle the common misconception that people who are under the age of forty are too young to contract cancer. Much of their awareness campaigns are based on the principle that the more that an individual is aware of their own breasts, the more likely they are to spot a change - should one occur. Most of their awareness work is carried out at universities, music festivals, schools and work places and via national awareness campaigns around the UK. CoppaFeel!'s ambassadors are called 'the Boobettes', who are young women that have all had the disease at a young age.
Campaigns
Over the past few years, CoppaFeel! have instigated several high-profile breast cancer awareness campaigns.
They currently encourage fashion labels to sew an awareness message inside bras, which read: “Checking your boobs could save your life”. This ‘Bra Hijack’ campaign has received support from ASOS, Cosmopolitan, Very, Gossard, Curvy Kate, Panache, Nubian Skin, Lepel, Tutti Rouge and Ender Legard.
In summer 2014 they launched their ‘What Normal Feels Like’ campaign, which seeks to reclaim the language and imagery associated with breasts. Hundreds of women have submitted pictures of their breasts, along with a descriptive word such as “wibbly” or “springy”, which have been used in a series of advertisements designed to normalise and desexualise female breasts. According to The Daily Mail, the ‘What Normal Feels Like’ billboards had to be placed away from roadsides for fear of distracting drivers with images of naked breasts.
In the same year The Sun newspaper started working with CoppaFeel! on ‘Check ‘Em Tuesday’, a bold campaign that features Page 3 models encouraging readers to check their breasts for signs of cancer every Tuesday. CoppaFeel! founder Kristin Hallenga presently works as a columnist for The Sun, expanding on the important of ‘Check ‘Em Tuesday’ by regularly writing about her own experiences with cancer. The campaign has been criticized by No More Page 3, who feel that the promotion “sexualised images of young women to highlight breast cancer”. CoppaFeel! responded to the criticism by highlighting the importance of early stage diagnoses for the disease. ‘Check ‘Em Tuesday’ has received support from several celebrities including motorcycle racer Maria Costello, and actress Helen Flanagan.
CoppaFeel! have also run a ‘Cheknominate’ campaign, which was their “healthier” take on the Neknominate craze. Cheknominate encouraged people to record themselves checking their breasts before nominating a friend to do the same. The Huffington Post were supportive of the campaign, and encouraged their readers to try to get the hashtag #Cheknominate trending on social media.
Media Coverage
Many of Coppafeel!’s publicity campaigns have involved the use of giant inflatable ‘boob’ costumes. The charity has organized a series of successful flash dances, using their ‘boob’ costumes, which gained widespread media attention in the UK.
CoppaFeel! gained widespread media coverage when they a decorated The Angel of the North with a ‘boob hijack’ sticker.
In 2015 CoppaFeel! founder Kristin Hallenga was profiled in Kris: Dying to Live, a documentary that covered her battle with terminal breast cancer. She also played herself in The C Word, a BBC One adaptation of the book by cancer blogger Lisa Lynch.
Festifeel
CoppaFeel! host the annual music festival, Festifeel, helping to raise money for breast cancer awareness. It describes itself as "Britain's only boutique music festival with boobs in mind!".
Celebrity Support
Their innovative fundraising activities have received widespread support from celebrities including Fearne Cotton, Russell Howard, Newton Faulkner, Lorraine Kelly and Danni Minogue.
Radio presenters Greg James and Dermot O'Leary both ran the 2013 Bath Half Marathon, wearing giant inflatable ‘boobs’, in support of CoppaFeel!
Gavin and Stacey star Mathew Horne appeared in a cinema campaign for Coppafeel!, encouraging viewers to check out their boobs before the film started.
In September 2012 Mel B posed topless in a Coppafeel! Advert in Cosmopolitan magazine, ahead of breast cancer awareness month. The advert's risqué nature received mass-media coverage.
Chris O'Dowd has also appeared in a viral video, raising awareness of male breast cancer which accounts for 1% of breast cancers.