Pink bras at Sydney spa promote breast cancer awareness

From the veranda of Aarc Salon and Spa in Sydney dangles a neat row of delicate, pink ladies underwear.

The animal prints, underwires and demi-cup bras get people's attention. Hair stylist Katlyn Tobin likes seeing the reaction.

"It's just neat watching the people's expressions when they walk by and they just literally stop and look," she said.

Tobin and other staff came up with the idea along with owner Cindy Binns to raise awareness of breast cancer. Binns's sister is a survivor of Stage 3 breast cancer; last year Binns herself was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"Next thing you know in May I was in surgery, it floored me," Binns says.

Binns had a mastectomy: "Every day it is a reminder of how lucky I am."

The Canadian Cancer Society says breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers.

It is the second-leading cause of death from cancer in Canadian women.

Binns hopes the pink bras outside her salon will encourage women to get mammograms.

Dawn Mahoney, a friend and client of 30 years, said the underwear display is very effective.

"I think if she had a poster out, I don't think anyone would stop and look," she said. "But you are certainly going to look when you walk by and see 40 bras hanging from a veranda."

Prostitutes to benefit

Now that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is coming to an end, Binns is making plans for what will become of 40 bras. She says some have been promised to prostitutes downtown.

"A few ladies that were on the streets here had came in and asked what we were doing with the bras when we were finished with them," she said.

She says they hadn't given it a lot of thought until then. But when the prostitutes asked to pick through them, "I said absolutely."