The Hive recently created a series of wild posters in support of Rethink Breast Cancer’s Breast Fest 2011. The annual event took place this weekend at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Inspired by fashion shoots such as those in Vanity Fair, the ads appeared throughout downtown Toronto and consisted of “glamour shots” of the breast cancer survivors who appeared in Breast Fest 2011 films.
The ads contrast the typical imagery of stardom – being discovered, screenings etc. – with the real-life drama endured by breast cancer survivors.
Each ad features the stars of the films, while the accompanying copy contrasts their battle with breast cancer with their Breast Fest film career. One ad, for example, shows a woman named Suzanne Brocklehurst posing in a glamorous gown, while the accompanying copy read “Unlike other starlets, she hopes a sequel isn’t in the works.”
Another execution features a woman named Karyn Stowe beneath a set light, accompanied by the message “She was discovered at 39. Her lump at 37.”
“We wanted our poster campaign for Breast Fest to convey… stories of real women that are both impactful and life affirming,” said Michelle Rothstein, artistic director of the Breast Fest Film Festival, in a release.
According to the most recent statistics from the Canadian Cancer Society, an estimated 23,400 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year – which equates to 64 women a day – while 5,100 women will die from it.
