So what is the colour of your bra?

A rather strange virus (no no, not Boman Irani in a bad wig and a worse lisp) is going around on Facebook today and for the most part of yesterday where all the women all across the world put the colour of their bras up as their status messages, ostensibly to further breast cancer awareness. Not to be left behind like all good wannabes, the men are also putting up the colours of their undergarments, though we arent getting much variety in the colours on offer in their status messages, I must say. Obviously the girlfriends and the wives play safe when they buy their men their underwear.

I for one, and a dear friend sitting in a wonderful scenic cold country, didn’t get the point. How can putting the colour of your bra up on a public platform do anything to increase awareness about breast cancer. To me, honestly, it seemed like some clever chap’s great idea to get his five minutes of voyeuristic joy imagining women of different sizes and shapes in different coloured bras. For a moment I got suckered into putting my colour up, (what, what, what, you expected something fancy? Sorry, I wear horse harnesses with as much aesthetics as the said item of equine livery), then decided against it. For one, it felt like TMI on a public forum. For another I didnt have anything exciting to contribute by the way of colour. I’m a functional practical person, and therefore said article of clothing is also functional and practical and far from aesthetic.

If anything would spread awareness about breast cancer, I would definitely take it up. Heck, every woman needs to do a breast self examination every month after she turns 30. Repeat, a self examination every month and regular scanning and mammograms. It is a scary business, breast cancer.  I think we women tend to take ourselves and our health for granted. Hands up all ye who have had annual health check ups regularly. Yup. I thought so. Not to worry, I fall on the hallowed list too, of those who have no clue what her blood pressure or her cholesterol levels are, and whether she is pre diabetic. Given that I have a family history of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and more, one would think I would be more careful. Given that the mother discovered she had high diabetes one fine day when she went for a casual check up because she was ‘feeling tired” and landed up in the ICU, you would think I would be more careful. But no. I have no lessons I learn. I continue to be as careless about my health as most of us are. I am an ostrich. I pop headache pills rather than go get my migraines checked out by professionals. I suffer with hotwater bags and cyclopam rather than get a sonography done every period. I’m sure I sound familiar. I’m sure most of us women are the same.

Between the home, the husband and the children, our number comes last on the list. Its only when we are at the point of collapse, that we might condescend to visit the doctors. A least I do. I dont know about you. I cant remember the last time I had a complete medical check up, and I keep ignoring the odd aches and pains until they flare up bad enough for me to be laid out on the bed with the entire family dancing in attendance.

What this entire exercise on facebook did for me is simple, it made me decide to take an appointment for a complete health check up. I’m running on 38, it is definitely high time I had an annual screening regularly. I have a child to look after. I need to be responsible about my health for him. If not for me. But I still dont think I’m putting up the colour of my innerwear up for public scrutiny. And I’d really like to know how many of you who put your colours up went home and did a self examination or booked yourself for a mammogram. If you did, yes, then the concept worked, and hats off to the brain who thought it up.