LAWRENCE, Kan. – This story is about a woman who took a picture of herself in a KU T-shirt, tweeting it with #KUboobs.
It caught on like wildfire and the woman said she’d like to use the attention to bring awareness to breast cancer.
Kenneth Soap said it started off as a way to promote support for the University of Kansas basketball team. His friend Tiffany Kent (@mommyloveswine), tweeted a picture of herself last March with the hashtag #KUboobs.
“We got a big following so we had said we want to use that to bring attention to a good cause,” he said.
That cause would be breast cancer awareness. Soap admits #KUboobs is more about rooting for the Jayhawks than awareness, but he said last October, they did get a group together to do a breast cancer walk.
“We’re looking at other stuff this year. There’s a golf tournament in Wichita with the American cancer society,” Soap said.
#KUboobs now has its own Twitter account with more than 20,000 followers. Even men get in on it.
Soap has created a Facebook page and a website. He said #KUboobs doesn’t encourage any nudity and he said they stay within the guidelines of whatever medium they’re using.
“I think it’s very exciting I love their name and I think it’s very unique and fun,” Michelle Lemberger said.
Lemberger is a doctor with Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence. She has battled breast cancer herself. She is part of her own organization to raise money to help fund mamograms. Lemberger said they are preparing for a gala next month.
She said they too, have a catchy name.
“We are the ‘Save Second Base’ organization,” she said.
Lemberger said she and her friend who started it have sons who play baseball together. But yes, there is another pun in there too. Lemberger said she doesn’t have a problem with how anyone goes about bringing awareness, even #KUboobs.
“Why not? I don’t think breast should be off limits as far as bringing attention to something as important as breast cancer in women’s health,” Lemberger said.
There are several spin-offs of this for teams like the Chiefs and Royals.
