The three-day pledge drive, staged at the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, has bloggers and other net denizens sending in pictures of their cleavage as an incentive for people to donate money to a breast cancer foundation.
This year’s motto is “Find a cure AND bust.”
“It’s all about Boobie Health, folks,” wrote Hey-Lisa.com’s Lisa, the photo coordinator for the contest, on her website. “We’ve all got ‘em, so let’s take good care of them. Remember your self-exam, see your doctor regularly, and let’s help save the Boobies!”
Created by Florida-based blogger Robyn Pollman of Shutterblog, the drive began as a way to raise money for a friend’s $359 plane ticket.
The Boobie-Thon quickly eclipsed the value of the ticket and, after drawing dozens of unsolicited pictures, the excess $1,200 was donated to the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
“It was perfect,” writes one blogger. “Boobies for boobies.”
A year later, the charity drive established a formal division in its donations, submitting the first $359 to a “blogger-helping-blogger” charity and the rest of the money to the Komen Foundation.
This year, the first $359 will be donated to AIDS Walk 2004.
While the pictures at the Boobie-thon’s official website all feature slightly covered breasts, a private “pay-per-boobie” website has been created for donors of $50 or more.
The drive ends at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday.
