The creative for the controversial campaign poster for breast cancer awareness.
Credit: X/@Erroristotle
Cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s non-profit organisation, YouWeCan Foundation is under a cloud after one of its breast cancer awareness posters rubbed netizens the wrong way.
The controversial creative, shared widely online, shows a young, sari-clad woman holding two oranges in her hands while travelling on a bus while another seated elderly woman holds a crate of oranges. The caption reads: 'Check your oranges once a month'.
The euphemistic reference to breasts as oranges in the 'call to action' campaign is aimed at encouraging woman to practice regular self-examinations for signs of breast cancer from their 25th year.
The admittedly 'locker room joke' term had netizens retweeting the campaign poster with some pretty caustic comments. One user @Erroristotle wrote, "How will a country raise Breast Cancer Awareness is we can’t even call breasts what they are. Saw this at Delhi Metro and like what the hell? Check your oranges? Who makes these campaigns, who approves them? Are we governed by such dumb people that they let this poster become public? Shameful and embarrassing."
Another outraged user tweeted, "Most disgusting. Even Third rate Adult movies use better terms . It is too sexual ,completely defeats the purpose . It forces both men and women to not to be open about Breast Cancer."
A woman, also offended by the term, commented, "NO. I will not check my oranges. I am not a tree with fruits hanging off me. I am a woman. I will check my breasts and I urge you to check your breasts too. What is this bulls**t? This is what happens when you bring uneducated morons to power."
The campaign imagery also set off a mini-debate in the comments with some arguing that oranges are often used to depict breasts in cancer awareness ads to bypass nudity clauses.
As one user said the "outrage seems silly" because using oranges in awareness programs to depict signs, symptoms and stages of breast cancer to the public was a common practice.
Yuvraj Singh who in 2011 battled a rare form of lung cancer started the NGO YouWeCan to raise awareness about various forms of cancer. The foundation has been active in early detection campaigns and providing support to cancer patients.