DMRC pulls out ad on breast cancer after facing backlash from activists

Delhi Metro on Thursday said it has withdrawn a poster on breast cancer awareness that asked women to check your oranges but the questions remained - does the metaphor obscure the message, does it help women in a cloistered society get comfortable or more awkward by sexualising a body part.

Delhi Metro's action came after a day of raging debate on social media and outside it over the poster by YouWeCan Foundation, a non-profit organisation. The campaign timed with breast cancer awareness month in October featured AI-generated women on a bus holding oranges with a caption urging women to 'check your oranges once a month' for early detection.

Though the poster was only on one train, commuters took screenshots, shared them widely and the issue quickly became an intense discussion topic on various platforms and forums.

"Are the makers so starved of human decency that they would resort to comparing a vital body part to a fruit? How exactly are you teaching women to be comfortable talking about it, much less getting checked, if you don't have the decency to respect the definition of the body part? asked an outraged Sunaina Bhalla, an artist and breast cancer survivor.

Bhalla, whose last art exhibition featured her mammograms pre- and post-surgery, termed the campaign "ineffective, meaningless and offensive".

"It's a breast -- both men and women have them and yes, both can get cancer. Be brave enough to use the word in the English language that was assigned to the body part in question. This is a new low for the ad industry," Bhalla told PTI from Singapore.

The strong objection from people against the "inappropriate content" led to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) reacting quickly and removing the poster on Wednesday night.

"DMRC always strives to be sensitive to public sentiments and doesn't encourage any sort of campaign/activity/display advertising which is not in good taste or in defiance of prevalent guidelines of advertising in public places. The Delhi Metro will endeavor to ensure that such incidents of inappropriate advertising don't take place in its premises," DMRC posted on X on Thursday.

The awareness campaign may have diffused the message but its critics were crystal clear in their observations.

In no time, social media platforms were flooded with posts terming the campaign run by the non profit, founded by former cricketer and cancer survivor Yuvraj Singh, tone deaf, "stupid symbolism" and "starved of human decency".

Experts, including doctors and activists, joined the conversation to say that the messaging on an important issue such as breast cancer should be "direct and meaningful".

Activist Yogita Bhayana, who was earlier associated with the YouWeCan Foundation, admitted that the NGO had "goofed up".

Dr Divya Sehra from Manipal Hospital, Dwarka, said the "visual representation of oranges is audience-friendly but the term breast should not be replaced by fruits or other articles as it tends to dilute or misinterpret the issue at hand".

"It can be used as a relatable analogue which can simplify complex information, given that it closely resembles the size of the breast.

"However, the campaign idea may not go well with certain people who may feel that the entire campaign is symbolising sexuality. When such important messages are to be communicated, the information needs to be direct and meaningful," the consultant, gynaecologic oncology, explained.

Dr Jason Philip, a renowned urologist based out of Tamil Nadu whose mother succumbed to breast cancer, wrote a heartfelt post on X.

My own loving dear mother died of Breast Cancer, which was Stage 4 at diagnosis. The irony was her son(me) ws a Breast Surgeon at that time, & out of modesty, she did not even tell her own son, when it ws a small lump, that ws potentially curable. So please don't sexualize Breast Cancer which is the most common Cancer worldwide.

There is nothing wrong in uttering the word Breast in the context of Breast, he added.

Ravish James, an X user, was equally angry.

"Seriously! We sexualise and objectify women to sell a chocolate. But we can't do a breast cancer awareness campaign by using the word breast and refer breasts as oranges. Such a disgusting mindset," James said.

"There is no need for this stupid symbolism. Breast Cancer awareness can happen without Oranges. The word is not sexual and all Indian languages luckily have vocabulary to support neutral conversation without sexual overtones," tweeted another user, Santosh Kumar.

The YouWeCan foundation, which said it has educated over 3 lakh women on breast cancer and screened 1.5 lakh, defended its controversial campaign and backed the use of oranges as a metaphor for breasts.

"If using oranges gets people talking about breast health and saves even one life, then it's worth it," Poonam Nanda, chief mentor and trustee at the YouWeCan Foundation, told PTI.

Nanda, who is a double breast cancer survivor, gave the example of the 'Know Your Lemons' campaign by Worldwide Breast Cancer.

"Despite initial discomfort, it broke taboos and empowered women to identify early warning signs. Similarly, in Argentina, campaigns have used vegetables like cucumbers and pumpkins to symbolize breasts, helping raise awareness for self-examinations. Despite pushback from some conservative groups, these campaigns have effectively promoted early detection and saved lives," she added.

She found a few backers on social media.

"COPIED this from a website, see Orange reference. Inflammatory breast cancer where skin may also appear dimpled or pitted, like the skin of an orange (peau d'orange), and the nipple may be inverted (facing inward)," wrote a user, EarlieBird, on X.

"Correct analogy 'peau d orange' appearance of breast is the most conspicuous sign of breast cancer," posted another user Saurabh.

Breast cancer, according to Lancet, is now the world's most common carcinogenic disease. It is likely to cause a million deaths a year by 2040.