Corrine Beaumont created the popular Know Your Lemons campaign that gained worldwide attention.
She was inspired to create this campaign because many women are confused when doing breast checks: do they feel a lump, should they worry about dimpled skin, and what is it exactly that they’re feeling for?
Beaumont had lost her grandmother to breast cancer at the ages of 40 and 62.
When she couldn’t find proper information on the symptoms of breast cancer to be cautious about, she knew she had to do something and make it easier for women when doing breast checkups.
Lemons Become the Stand-In Metaphore for Breasts
Beaumont decided to use lemons as a stand-in metaphor for breasts when looking to make a simple and visually effective way of showing what breast cancer looks and feels like.
She describes the lemon egg box as a friendly and playful image that may assist women in overcoming the fear of this common type of cancer. She emphasized that some patients don’t want to look at their breasts or talk about them.
And, in many campaigns, the women participating don’t like regular women. This campaign has helped educate people globally, including in the US, Spain, Lebanon, and Turkey, and has been translated into 16 languages.
Corrine left her job in 2015 when she decided to launch her own charity, Worldwide Breast Cancer.
The Campaign’s Popularity Increased at One Specific Moment
Despite being active as of 2003, Know Your Lemons went viral after it was shared by one Erin Smith Chieze on social media.
Chieze was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer after spotting a breast indentation which she recognized from a similar image containing details about what breast cancer may look like.
Erin shared that if it hadn’t been for the photo, she wouldn’t have known what to look for.
Plenty of people describe the Know Your Lemons as a colorful and clear campaign that spreads a pivotal message which is often lost among so many words and explanations.
One survey of 1000 women conducted by the Breast Cancer Care charity concluded that one-third of women don’t check their breasts for symptoms of cancer.
Though 96 percent are aware that a lump near the breasts may be a symptom of cancer, more than one-quarter aren’t aware that inverted nipples are also an indicator.
Lumps or thickened tissues in the breast are one of the most common breast cancer symptoms. In 9 out of 10 cases, these lumps aren’t cancer; however, it’s always best to consult a doctor.
Other common signs to look for are skin dimples, indentations in the breasts, and changes in the nipple. The lemon campaign is successful because showing lemons in an egg box draws interest and attention to the problem and may help people recall the symptoms better.
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