Next month is National Breast Cancer Month, so what better way to catch some attention and shed some light on breast cancer and its prevention than with some provocative ads?

While these ads have caught some controversy, I personally LOVE them! I’ve criticized how other companies have used sex to sell, but this is the PERFECT example of how to do it right!

These ads have caught everyone’s attention, and they’re making the message a little more real for a younger generation that really doesn’t feel like breast cancer can or will affect them. While they may be a little racy, they are powerful because they’re putting “sex sells” to good use and for a good cause.

PRDaily ran the story yesterday, and  a woman by the name of Andrea posted a comment that truly proves these ads hit the nail on the head:

I was 33 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was shocked and stunned at the diagnosis, for many reasons, not the least of which because I always thought that breast cancer was a disease of women much older than me.

In the sensibility of these new ad campaigns, let me recast that statement: I thought breast cancer was a disease of women whose boobs were obsolete: not for breast-feeding, not for fitting in bikinis, not for being ogled or adored.

These ads are great and have their place, not only because they are funny and they demystify breast cancer (shh, we don’t talk about things like that in polite society), they also demonstrate that young, beautiful, sexy, energetic, smart woman CAN AND DO GET BREAST CANCER!

I had a double-mastectomy with a bi-lateral reconstruction. Sounds pretty fancy, huh? Not really. In fact, it’s quite horrifying. When I catch men looking at my chest, it’s like, “Oh, yeah? You wanna see these? You think you’re man enough??” Like the guy from the movie The Twilight Zone: You wanna see something REALLY scary?

Above all, sometimes you gotta be able to laugh and poke fun at yourself. For example, though I was happy to exchange my boobs for my life (so far, 8+ years), I think the one who has lost the most is my husband. He will readily admit that breasts are his favorite part of the female anatomy. As I always say, “Thank God he wasn’t a leg man!”

But what do you think? Are the ads working? Or are we loosing the message in all the sexiness?