Formation | April 2009 |
---|---|
Founder | Kristin Hallenga and Maren Hallenga |
Founded at | London |
Type | Charitable organisation |
Purpose | To give everyone the best possible chance of surviving breast cancer by speaking to young people in their natural habitat. |
Headquarters | 1-4 Pope Street, London SE1 3PR |
Location | |
Coordinates | 51°30′00″N 0°04′42″W / 51.499970°N 0.078370°W |
Region | United Kingdom |
Official language | English |
Key people | Natalie Kelly ( CEO) |
Staff | 15 |
Website |
coppafeel |
CoppaFeel! is a breast cancer awareness charity based in London [1] focused on promoting early detection of breast cancer by encouraging women under 30 to regularly check their breasts. [2] CoppaFeel is a tongue-in-cheek reference to molestation.
CoppaFeel! is a charity partner of Cosmopolitan magazine. [3]
CoppaFeel! was founded in 2009 by sisters Maren and Kristin Hallenga, after Kristin was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 23. [4] Despite a family history of cancer, doctors originally dismissed a tumor on Kristin's breast as “hormonal”. [1]
Driven by the difficult experience, the Hallenga sisters launched CoppaFeel! at Beach Break Live in 2009. [5]
CoppaFeel!'s awareness campaigns are based on increased physical self-awareness and monitoring one's breasts in the hopes of quickly detecting any changes. [6] Most campaign work is carried out at universities, music festivals, schools and work places and via national awareness campaigns around the UK. [5] CoppaFeel!'s ambassadors, called 'the Boobettes', are young women who experienced breast cancer at a young age. [7]
In Summer 2014, the organization launched the ‘What Normal Feels Like’ campaign, seeking to reclaim language and imagery associated with breasts. [8] Hundreds of women submitted pictures of their breasts, along with a descriptive word such as “wibbly” or “springy”, later used in a series of advertisements designed to normalise and desexualise female breasts. [9]
CoppaFeel! ran a ‘Cheknominate’ campaign, a “healthier” take on the Neknominate craze. [10] 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 use the hashtag #Cheknominate on social media. [11]
Many of Coppafeel!’s publicity campaigns have involved the use of giant inflatable ‘boob’ costumes. [4] CoppaFeel! gained widespread media coverage after decorating The Angel of the North with a ‘boob hijack’ sticker. [12]
In 2015, CoppaFeel! founder Kristin Hallenga was profiled in Kris: Dying to Live, a documentary about her battle with terminal breast cancer. [13] She also played herself in The C Word, a BBC One adaptation of the book by cancer blogger Lisa Lynch. [14]
CoppaFeel! hosts the annual music festival, Festifeel, helping to raise money for breast cancer awareness. [15] It describes itself as "Britain's only boutique music festival with boobs in mind!". [16]
The organization's fundraising activities have received support from celebrities, including Fearne Cotton, Russell Howard, Newton Faulkner, Lorraine Kelly and Dannii Minogue. [17]
Radio presenters Greg James and Dermot O'Leary ran the 2013 Bath Half Marathon wearing giant inflatable "boobs" in support of CoppaFeel! [18]
Gavin & Stacey star Mathew Horne appeared in a cinema campaign for Coppafeel!, encouraging viewers to check their boobs before the film started. [19]
In September 2012, Mel B posed topless in a Coppafeel! advert in Cosmopolitan magazine ahead of breast cancer awareness month. [20] The advert's risqué nature received mass-media coverage. [21]