Yard NYC Launches "Send Nudes" Campaign to Promote Breast Awareness
Female-owned and -led agency asks women to take topless selfies for self-examination this Breast Cancer Awareness Month
NEW YORK — During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Yard NYC, a female-owned and -led agency, is repurposing one of the internet's most familiar requests, "Send Nudes," to encourage women to take topless selfies for themselves. The goal is to help women track visual changes in their breasts, which can be an early indicator of breast cancer.
The campaign is part of Yard NYC's effort to equip a new generation of women with awareness and resources at a time when breast cancer is increasingly affecting women under 50.
The campaign is grounded in a finding that 62.6% of women said they were not confident they would notice a change in their breasts. In response, the grassroots effort asks women to send nudes to themselves, or to someone close to them, every six months as a reference for any visual changes and, ideally, early detection.
Spreading awareness of breast changes is a personal priority for Yard NYC CEO Ruth Berstein, whose firsthand experience with early breast cancer taught her that there are clear visual signs women can use to detect health changes early.
"We know every line on our face, every grey hair on our heads, every squish on our bellies," says Ruth. "Culturally, we're obsessed with all these other bodily changes, but we don't even notice our own tits. So what if we turned the familiar language of sending nudes into a reminder to know your own boobs?"
Research shows that breast cancer rates are rising twice as fast among women under 50 as among women 50 and older, and 85% of women diagnosed have no family history of the disease. Women in their 30s also tend to view breast cancer as a problem for older women. Yard NYC is calling on women to save some topless photos and pay closer attention to their bodies.
"Send Nudes is about empowerment," says Caroline Seklir, chief strategy officer of Yard NYC. "Women are surrounded by messages about how our breasts should look, but far fewer reminders to actually know what our own breasts look like. The idea is that we're normalising this for a new generation of women that are coming of age in a selfie-driven world, and giving them the power of awareness on their own terms, long before they're of age for a mammogram."
The campaign's centerpiece is a series of postings across New York City bearing the words "SEND NUDES" and a QR code. The posters appear at busy intersections, including North 7th and Bedford in Williamsburg and near Dimes Square in the Lower East Side. The QR code leads to sendnudestoyourself.com, which reveals that the intended recipient of the photos is the sender. The site also links to breast health resources covering visible signs and symptoms, such as unexplained changes in size or shape, dimpling anywhere on the breast, and nipple discharge.
"Send Nudes" runs through the end of October. Alongside out-of-home advertising and the dedicated website, Yard NYC is promoting the campaign on social media to drive online engagement. It is also releasing limited-edition stickers and merchandise that riff on dating-app shorthand such as "You Up?" and "Pic?" as prompts for women to send nudes to themselves.
