If you walk down the hallway between passing time, you will probably see inside out white, pink, almost any color bracelets on the wrists of many students. If you have seen these, you already know what they say; “i <3 boobies.” BRFHS students have taken a liking to these breast cancer-supporting literal fashion ‘statements,’ but the teachers have not.

Boys are the primary wearers of these unique bracelets, but a few girls have joined in as well. These bracelets were a huge hit when they first arrived and they quickly exploded into a fad. Everyone wanted one and stores that had them in stock, like Zumiez and Spencers, were swamped with teenagers trying to get their own. Their variety of colors made them even more desirable, including baby blue, bright green, black, white and pink. There were even limited edition red bracelets at Spencers during the week of February 8. They were also available online at the site that started it all, keep-a-breast.org.

At first they harmlessly blended into the fabric of the high school hallways, but soon teachers started to notice them in their classrooms. The bracelets could be considered vulgar and teachers did not want that kind of nonsense in their classrooms. From then on, students were told to turn them inside out, or turn them in. A few students even had their bracelets cut. A particular student, who shall remain nameless, said that if they were seen with another breast cancer bracelet, they could be suspended.

Students immediately protested against this new “no booby bracelets” policy. Many felt squandered, like their rights were being taken away. Where is the freedom of speech? Freedom of expression? Can these be diminished all because of a bracelet?

I am a supporter of these bracelets. I own one myself and I wear it proudly. Although multiple students wear these bracelets so they can rebel against teachers, many students wear them because they actually support breast cancer awareness. I am one of those many. I have had several family members who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, some even re-occurring. I know the effects of breast cancer and how damaging it can be to the patient’s health and life in general. I believe it is crucial for teenagers to be aware of harmful diseases such as breast cancer. Awareness is the first step in beating a disease. These bracelets aid in spreading awareness, even if they are humorous.

The battle goes on, but I believe that students will stay strong. Teenagers can be fickle, but they are also very passionate and will do whatever it takes for their voices to be heard.