BRACE YOURSELF, BECAUSE you’re probably about to see countless photos like this begin to pop up on your social media feeds.

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The #HoldACokeWithYourBoobsChallenge is sweeping Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook as women (and plenty of men) hold a bottle or can of Coca Cola between their breasts apparently in a bid to raise awareness of breast cancer and the importance of regular checks.

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Break / Twitter Break / Twitter / Twitter

However, it turns out  the whole things was actually started by an adult entertainment talent-scouting agency, and initially had nothing to do with breast cancer. It’s only after it took off that it turned into an awareness endeavour.

Responding to criticism of the challenge as “slacktivism” and “making breast cancer fun” models Gemma Jaxx and Danny Frost, who initiated the hashtag said on Facebook:

When we started [the challenge] we did it as a joke. We were making fun of all these other challenges. Like the one for bigger lips and stepping on the flag. We never thought it would take off like it did. But it did. And then people started posting it was for charity and it was for breast cancer awareness.

We had never planned on that nor thought of it. But since that’s what people want to do it for, we said why not do something good with this. So we went with it. Please challenge your friends to do it, They can either do the challenge, donate to their favorite charity, or both. It’s up to them.

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There has been criticism that the challenge in insensitive to those who’ve undergone mastectomy procedures as a result of breast cancer.

Jaxx and Frost said:

 1)keep in mind that when we started this, it had nothing to do for cancer, but that the people who were taking part in it wanted it to be. 2) Let’s face some real facts. Not every woman does their exams or goes and gets a mammogram. Several people are on the mind set it will never happen to me, I’m too young or old for it to happen to me, my boobs are too small… and so on and so on… So if this gets a few of those types of girls to do their check ups and prevents them from losing their breast or dying from breast cancer by doing something fun and goofy, does it not make it worth it?

First We Feast reports that the Breast Cancer Foundation in the US has clarified that it’s not supporting the challenge and had nothing to do with its initiation.

- Written by Emer McLysaght and originally published on DailyEdge.ie

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