Breast Cancer.  It’s a word most of us don’t spend too much time pondering about.  After all, we are busy college students with plenty of other things on our minds and problems to address.  Problems that seem significant or monumental as they occur in our little bubble world of college. Problems like:

“Oh my god, I just gained five pounds.”
“Shoot, I shouldn’t have had that extra slice of pizza last night.”
“Ugh I didn’t make the lacrosse team.”
“Grad school applications need to be in by next week? I am so screwed.”

Thoughts such as these are more of the day-to-day troubles on our minds. But breast cancer? No, not breast cancer.  Unless someone in our family is diagnosed with the disease, why should we think about such an awful, somewhat unthinkable possibility, which is so far removed from our current existence?

Well, I propose we change this lack of breast cancer contemplation. And I have good reasons for it.

Given the explosion of childhood obesity seen in our generation, health experts across the board are predicting crisis proportions of heart disease, diabetes, and you guessed it, breast cancer.  And seeing that we just rounded out National Breast Cancer Awareness month, I think it’s important to point out that the breast cancer Grim Reaper is going to plague our generation unless we take a proactive approach to keeping ourselves healthy and motivating our loved ones to do the same. Read More »

I want to begin this post by clarifying something.

I love my boobs. Seriously.  They are fabulous and I wouldn’t do anything in this world to replace them with anything else.  I’m happy to have them by my side whenever I‘m laying down need a handful of jiggly happiness to cry on.  I believe they are superb. I don’t want this post to seem like a giant complain-fest.  It’s simply the honest truth about having big boobs.

Because mine are ginormous.

I’m being honest.  You could probably see them from where you’re sitting right now.  I can barely fit half of one in my hand when I grab on to them (yes, I’ve tried) and when I look down, I can’t see my feet.  For a large handful (pun intended) of my life, they have been large.  When I was in seventh grade, all of the kids in choir made fun of me because I refused to wear a bra until my mother tackled me down and force-fed me a training bra (I thought it was uncomfortable).  Kids in my high school nicknamed me BLT.  And it had nothing to do with my devotion to bacon, lettuce, and tomato. The acronym was for ‘Big-Lucious-Tits.”

For a long time, I believed that there was nothing positive about having big tatas.  Firstly, you can never wear skimpy clothing without looking like a slut (or risking a nipple slip).  Second, I understand men love boobs but during insecure moments I wondered if they just wanted to talk to me because they were so obnoxiously huge. And third, I was convinced come 40, I would have to tuck them in my socks or tie them over my head.

Read More »

On January 11, 2011, Claudia Gilmore will undergo a preventative double mastectomy with reconstruction. The 23-year old does not have breast cancer, but has a genetic mutation that makes her more likely to develop cancerous cells in the future. She began writing a blog about life with the mutation several months ago. Eventually, the blog became a hot topic in DC, coming up in casual conversation after conversation.

Maureen Dolan-Galvaniz, a local film-maker and classmate of Claudia’s, heard about her previving blog and was fascinated. Wanting to not only tell the story, but spread the word about preventative options, Maureen began working on a documentary about Claudia’s journey to surgery.

Claudia has now appeared in Ladies’ Home Journal, The Today Show, and several other media outlets, spreading the message about previving. We were lucky enough to catch up with the producer/director of the webisodes, Maureen, and get a behind the scenes look into Previve.com and what previving is all about.

How did you first hear about Claudia’s decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy?
I was out one Saturday evening with girlfriends when they started talking about this Georgetown
girl that was cutting off her breasts and blogging about it! They thought what she was doing was totally crazy – I don’t think either fully understood the BRCA mutations. I had never heard of the BRCA mutation either. I was so intrigued that I started Googling ‘Georgetown girl cuts off breasts’ when I got home. Sure enough, I came across Claudia’s blog. Claudia and I had been colleagues at Georgetown, we had taken our first documentary production class together.

Why do you think Claudia’s story needs to be told?
Because it is incredible and inspiring and touches on so many big ethical health issues. Would you want to know if you had a genetic mutation? What would you do once you found out? Should we test our children? What is life like once you know that you have an increased risk for a deadly disease? Previvors blow my mind. They are some of the most inspiring, joyous people I have ever met. For example, Claudia is so thankful that she knows that she has this genetic mutation that she doesn’t waste any time worrying about what life would be like if she didn’t. She seizes every day and doesn’t dwell on her really unfortunate mutation. Read More »

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I’m probably not the only one, but this week practically landed me in the hospital.  Diagnosis: Heartbreak.  Courteney Cox and David Arquette.  Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman.  Perez Hilton and vicious gossip.  Who didn’t break up!?

While I’m sitting here in Splitsville mending my heart with candy corn and Halloween M&Ms, let’s take a look at some less-depressing recent hot topics.

-It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month and one CC reader wants you to know the disease isn’t restricted to older women.  Check yo self, ladies.

-We told you how to score Blake Lively’s look for less.  Because shopping always makes us feel better! Especially when that shopping puts money back in our pockets.

-With Halloween only a couple weeks away, we wondered if our favorite holiday breeds sexism.  Those sexy kitten, nurse, and maid outfits sure are revealing, after all…

-We found that some bitches are crazy, even outside the TV.  Do you know how to spot a real-life Gossip Girl?

-If you’re out of college with a slightly out of focus post-grad path, you’re not alone.  Stop hyperventilating, start embracing. Read More »

So we’re halfway through October (I know, how did that happen?!) and by now you should be well aware that it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And that means 2 things:

1) We’re reminded that we really should all be feeling ourselves up more often.
2) We’re reminded of the importance of funding breast cancer research to help find a cure. And that means we race or we shop.

And since, let’s face it, we’ve all been spending the last month eating late night cheesy bread, Racing for the Cure doesn’t seem like the best choice. But pair shopping, all things pink and a good cause together,  and call me Elle Woods because I am SO there.

There is no shortage the pink goodness to go around this month – it seems like everyone’s getting in on the fun (including the NFL!). The best thing about it (besides the fact that every dollar spent helps find a cure, of course) is that a lot of stuff we’d buy anyway is going pink, so it’s never been easier to contribute to the cause. And there are also so many luxury items that we’d never splurge for on a normal day, but now we finally have a reason to! Read More »

The following post was written by Liz, a CollegeCandy reader and 21-year-old breast cancer survivor.

I was your typical college sophomore. I was active on campus, had a great group of friends, and kept myself busy with schoolwork. I was enjoying my time at The College of New Jersey, and felt truly blessed with an amazing life.

Then in April 2009, everything changed completely. In the midst of studying for final exams and celebrating the end of the school year, I was going back and forth between TCNJ and New York City for doctor visits. I had found a lump in my right breast, and went for tests and exams just as a precaution. Although I was optimistic and really believed I had nothing to worry about, I received the news that nobody wants to hear: I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Read More »

Contrary to what all those fashion mags tell you, earth tones and jewel tones are not the color right now. No, maam. It’s October and the it color is pink!

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, peeps! This means that in addition to donning all your pink goodies and shopping for a (great and important) cause, there’s one thing on everyone’s mind this month: boobies. Lady lumps. Tatas. Gazongas. Head lamps.

All of this boob-talk got us thinking – first about the ever-important self-exam, then about all of the different and amazing names people have for breasts. Seriously, who knew two lumps of fat could spur such creativity?

Here are our top 20 faves. Share your own (names….not sexy pics) below! Read More »

You already know that it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What you might not know is that retailers around the country are releasing special Pink Ribbon merchandise to commemorate the occasion. Buy any of these awesome products, and a portion of the price gets donated to breast cancer research.

I’ve always known shopping to be the best form of therapy, but who knew it had the power to potentially save a life?

There are tons of awareness tie-ins out there—one site is selling everything from pink products for pets to “balloons and party supplies”—but have no fear: CC is here to let you know about the best stuff available. Here are six of our favorites: Read More »

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, but this is an issue that should be brought to light at all times. In an effort to spread the word, designers have been coming out with some simple and flattering t-shirt designs that can be worn way past the month of October to remind all of us of this worthy cause. Many of the t-shirt designs still show the recognizable pink ribbon and use the bubble-gum pink color that we’ve all come to associate with Breast Cancer Awareness, but in an effort to reach a larger audience, designers are also introducing looks that include more versatile colors, trendy details and cute graphics that still sound as a voice for the Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation, allowing you to wear these tees for numerous occasions.

Not only would the message for awareness be seen more often, but a large percentage (50% to 100%) of the proceeds are donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, helping spread the word for prevention and funding the search for a cure. Even celebrities like Nicky Hilton, Sophia Bush and others are jumping on the Breast Cancer awareness bandwagon and have designed shirts to help spread the word.

Check out the cuteness (slide show!) over at StyleHive to shop the tees and help raise awareness in the process.