Breast Cancer x Beauty Scars
A meaningful partnership.
Before I even started writing BEAUTY SCARS, I challenged myself. I said, “Kern, can you write a story that can be both easy to digest and deeply meaningful?” Early reviews suggest I may have succeeded, but I’m really only getting started.
Now that BEAUTY SCARS is out, I want everything connected to it to be as meaningful as the story itself. That was the thinking behind the #LoveYourBeautyScars campaign and I am so excited at how that has been received. But I wanted more. I wanted to make an even deeper impact on the lives of those who have in some way been scarred.
I’m blessed to have some incredibly creative friends. So when sitting with my “mad scientist” friend Nike Onile, I knew something great would come from our conversation. And that it did.
She left me with a gem. She said, “You need to match your ideas with the impact you hope to make.” Nike was absolutely right. I want BEAUTY SCARS to touch millions of people, so my ideas need to match that kind of ambitious thinking.
So as we listed out some potential partners, The Breast Cancer Society of Canada (BCSC) was literally the first name on our list. Without knowing exactly how to explain it, we just felt it was right.
Why Breast Cancer Society of Canada
First, like many of you reading this, I have lost people close to me due to cancer (breast cancer, specifically), along with other forms of this disease. In every instance, I felt like a life was stolen, unfulfilled, and gone far too soon. The loss of those lives still impact me to this day.
For me, those who have suffered or suffer from breast cancer are the physical representation of the spirit of my novel. If anyone can relate the visceral nature of what BEAUTY SCARS truly means, it’s them.
And if I’m truly committed to this whole notion of meaningful action through my art, then I better put my money where my mouth is. So I’m donating 20% of all sales of BEAUTY SCARS from now till the end of December to the Breast Cancer Society of Canada. I want to explicitly put the percentage that I’m donating, rather than stating, “a portion of the proceeds.” That way, no one is left guessing or assuming. 20% is the number.
In addition to the donation, the goal is to open up the discussion on what beauty means in today’s culture. In some way, all of us are chasing beauty. It transcends race or gender or even culture. But I argue that the distorted view we have of beauty today is directly impacting the morals, perspectives, and even the physical and mental health of those who allow themselves to be influenced by this pursuit.
Today more than ever, we need to control THIS conversation. We need healthy messages and images, and we need leaders in the industries that matter to consistently communicate these messages and images. That’s a big part of what this partnership is about and why BCSC agreed to make this happen.
I can’t say I know how the next three months are going to go. What I do know is that I’ll try to be as loud as possible in getting people to read this story. The BCSC will be in chorus and we’ll raise our voices together. And in reading this story, I’m hoping that people will become more aware of what beauty truly means.
