“I like it on the desk.” “I like it on the couch.”
Don’t be shocked. These Facebook statuses are not as suggestive as one might think. They are actually supporting breast cancer awareness.
The statuses are referring to the location of one’s purse.
This status went viral at the beginning of October to mark the start of breast cancer awareness month.
The catch, however, was that the statuses were meant to be a mystery to men.
“People started getting interested and began asking questions,” junior Molly Poracky said. “Breast cancer is not a fun subject, but raising awareness this way makes people more curious and open about it.”
With over 500 million active users, Facebook is an effective tool to use for a multitude of causes.
“Almost everyone has a Facebook account,” Poracky said. “It is the easiest way to raise awareness for causes.
“Almost everyone has the ability to see what you are promoting.”
The status might seem irrelevant or strange, but Poracky said she believes that is precisely why the status appealed to so many and went viral so quickly.
“I thought it was a neat idea, Poracky said. “I got a lot of responses when I put it up as my status.
“I know it seems like the purse status would not be attached to breast cancer, but people probably would not respond as much if you just put up ‘breast cancer awareness’ as a Facebook status.”
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in U.S. women, according to the American Cancer Society.
According to the Young Survival Collation, 250,000 women living in the U.S. were diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 40 or under, and approximately 10,000 young women will be diagnosed in the next year.
“It is important for women to go and ask questions about it. That’s the whole point of the status,” Poracky said.
For sophomore Amy Coffman, raising awareness about breast cancer is a very personal priority. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2001.
“My family’s initial reaction to the diagnosis was complete shock,” Coffman said. “Being in fifth grade at the time, I could not really wrap my head around the idea that my mother was sick, but my dad kept our family strong and kept us reassured that we would be able to get through it.”
Coffman said watching a family member go through such a traumatic experience was terrifying.
“To this day it has been one of the hardest experiences I have personally gone though,” Coffman said.
Coffman’s mother is now cancer free. Coffman said she also participated in the “I like it” status movement.
“I thought it was hilarious and a great way to spread and raise awareness for such a great cause,” Coffman said. “I loved how quickly everyone caught on to the idea.”
