photo: EBbra

No folks, this is not an infomercial. The Emergency Bra is real – and it could save your life if faced with nuclear disaster.

Dr. Elena Bodnar won the 2009 Ig Nobel Public Health Prize for the Emergency Bra, an invention that doubles as a stylish bra and face mask. In the event of a disaster, simply unsnap the bra, separate the cups, slip one over your head, and slip one on to your partner.

The bra, which is now available for purchase online, came as a result of Bodnar studying the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Bodnar found that “if people had had cheap, readily available gas masks in the first hours after the disaster… they may have avoided breathing in Iodine-131, which causes radiation,” reported Fox News.

“You have to be prepared all the time, at any place, at any moment, and practically every woman wears a bra,” she said.

Despite all the seriousness, Bodnar remained light-hearted in the video below of her Ig Nobel prize acceptance speech by removing her bra and demonstrating how the device works on fellow Nobel laureates:

And if you don’t feel like watching the whole speech, I believe the following quote sums up just how genius this invention is:

“Ladies and gentlemen, isn’t that wonderful that women have two breasts, not just one? We can save not only our own life, but also the life of a man of our choice next to us.”

Smart woman, eh?

[ From: salon.com ]

Wonderbra has developed a new bra, the Ultimate Plunge, which the company says gives women “the confidence to embrace the plunging neckline trend.” To introduce the product, Wonderbra set up a grand stunt at the Battersea Power Station in London by putting up a giant billboard of Wonderbra model Adriana Cernanova wearing an Ultimate Plunge and having three random women bungee jump into her plunging cleavage. Images from the jump:

The women won an online competition to be the first to jump from the top of a crane into the billboard-cleavage, which is plastered on the same building featured on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals. The month-long PR campaign for the new bra invites women ages 18-25 to ‘take the Ultimate Plunge Style Challenge’ on Facebook, with the chance to win various prizes, including a VIP night out in London.

[ adweek.com ]

Additionally, new Hall of Famers will be given a coupon code for a free shirt upon receiving their agreement to pay document.

I also needed a photo to test uploading images to the News section after a few configuration changes.

And it’s not only a case, but it doubles as a stand to prop your iPhone up. Just like regular boobs!

Even though such risks – including scarring and hardening around the implant, along with a 20% chance of needing removal within 10 years – are involved when making the choice to get silicone implants, manufacturers Allergan and Johnson & Johnson’s Mentor unit reminds consumers that implants are safe and effective when used as directed.

“It is imperative for women with implants to get routine medical images to screen for implant ruptures and other complications,” said director of FDA’s device division, Jeffrey E. Shuren. “Women should notify doctors if they experience pain, swelling or other changes.”

The FDA also cautions that implants are not lifetime devices, and need follow-up. For women considering silicone breast implants, the FDA offers a helpful page on what to expect and questions to ask.

As with any major surgery, it is important to do research and discuss with a board-certified plastic surgeon when considering the best opinions for you.

[ From: wsj.com; latimes.com ]

Yours for only $106 on Japantrendshop.com. While you are there, you should probably also check out their product of the month: JeanPants Underwear.

Let me know how that goes

[ Via: gizmodo.com ]

The rubber bracelets, which were previously banned in the Pennysylvania school as “lewd” and “disruptive” expressions of speech, are part of a new trend that op-ed contributor and breast cancer survivor Peggy Orenstein has coined: sexy breast cancer.

The various campaigns aim to bring a fresh and supposedly more relevant approach to the youth market, but Orenstein argues that beyond that, their agenda is “at best, mushy.” With slogans such as “Touch Yourself” and “Save the Ta-Tas,” the message leans toward pathologizing and fetishizing women’s breasts, which in turn suppresses the discussion of real cancer.

In her critique she comments that it is not awareness missing in our youth– given that every October nearly everything in sight is drenched in pink, so in that regard the goal has long been met– but rather, action; which these “sexy” campaigns fail to accomplish.

In her words: “The idea that you are taking action merely by wearing a titillating bracelet is not a great life lesson.”

So how can young people show that they care about breast cancer beyond sporting the cheeky rubber bracelets?

Orenstein suggests such actions as organizing childcare or meals for mothers of small children going through treatment, volunteering in cancer resource centers, or holding fundraisers for affected mothers who can no longer work, amongst other things.

All of this takes time and effort, but in the long run are more meaningful to women with cancer, and likely more meaningful to the young people performing these actions.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the campaigns, and critiques such as Orenstein’s remain subject to personal interpretation. She does, however, make a valid point in that we are all very aware that this deadly disease exists, but what more can we do to help those affected by it and shift the focus from passive acknowledgment, to action?

Are these campaigns the answer?

Do they serve an important role in educating the youth about cancer? Or are these bracelets/shirts/slogans in fact only promoting the sexualization of  a non-sexy disease?

[ From: latimes.com ]