CYPRUS—To mark October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, performers on the cam site Stripchat have created a video to spread the word about self-exams.
Stripchat is releasing its first video today, with cam star Eva Diamond. In the video, Diamond talks with other models about the importance of the self-exam, as well as the exact technique needed to do one successfully.
The project began as outreach to cam models themselves—the platform has more than 150K women camming—but quickly grew in scope. The video will also be featured online by the tube site xHamster.
Throughout the month, the site will release and promote uncensored videos of performers doing breast self-checks, reaching a vital audience in a way that mainstream media can not.
“Adult sites have a unique opportunity to fight breast cancer,” said Max Bennet, vice president of new media at Stripchat. “With their censorship, mainstream social media sites are failing us. Facebook, Instagram and YouTube can't even show a nipple, let alone a full self-exam. Organizations like Planned Parenthood and public health department are limited to cartoon illustrations. Performers can show the world not only how to perform a self-exam accurately, but are uniquely positioned to talk about it without creating fear and stigma.”
Stripchat is encouraging its performers to upload their own videos to Twitter using the hashtag #StripchatSelfCheck. The company will highlight participating models on social media as well as its own site.
“As an industry, we have an obligation to use our tools to improve the lives of our models and the women in our audience,” Bennet said. “Sex and sexual health education are dismal in the U.S., and close to nonexistent in many parts of the world. We are going to reach the people other mediums don’t.”
This isn't the sites first foray into public health. In August, Stripchat launched an initiative connecting its audience with live cam sexual health therapy, a project that will expand in the coming months. Bennet says 1 in 5 of the site’s visitors are women.
View the first How to Check Yourself for Breast Cancer video now.
