Rankin Shoots Breast Cancer Survivors for Powerful Pink Ribbon Germany Campaign

BBDO Düsseldorf and Pink Ribbon Germany have launched a campaign in collaboration with lingerie label LYN that features five women facing the camera and displaying their femininity unashamedly. They are wearing custom-made lingerie and no prosthetics.

According to a BBDO press release, the message of the campaign is as follows: "You are complete and you are beautiful just the way you are. Live your femininity, because no one can deprive you of it!" This message is has been communicated by internationally famed celebrity and fashion photographer Rankin.

Christina Kempkes of Pink Ribbon Germany says: "For the majority of women, breasts are a key element in their feminine self-image, especially after treatment for breast cancer. They are associated with beauty and sensuality. For BBDO and ourselves it was therefore very important not to cover up the five women and to emphasize that they are still strong and attractive persons."

Liselotte Schwenkert, client service director at BBDO Düsseldorf, adds: "We were very keen to implement the campaign with these five women who had suffered from breast cancer. The individuality and self-awareness of these women would show that breast cancer can be overcome both physically and mentally."

“At the heart of each of these pictures is a warrior. The campaign idea was all about pushing boundaries and breaking taboos, but it´s the courage of our subjects that humbles me. I want to thank each of our women for being brave and defiant,” Rankin adds.

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent cancerous diseases among women. In statistical terms, one woman in eight in Germany develops breast cancer during her lifetime. In Germany alone, this represents approximately 70,000 new cases each year.

Since the 1990s, the Pink Ribbon has served as an international symbol of breast cancer awareness. Since 2010, the non-profit communication campaign Pink Ribbon Germany has been promoting greater awareness of the issue of breast cancer in Germany: targeting not only healthy women with a view to early detection but also persons affected and their families, as well as their social environment.