The Heart Truth: what’s that little red dress all about?
I’ve worked in public relations for decades, and I have to say that, from a PR perspective, those folks over in Breast Cancer are doing a fabulous job of raising awareness about their cause. It’s a world of PINK out there! Yet the same women who are raising awareness and funds in support of breast cancer research may be unaware that heart disease – not breast cancer – is actually our biggest health threat. This year, heart disease will kill six times more women than breast cancer will. In fact, heart disease will kill more women than all forms of cancer combined.
These frightening stats are just one of the reasons I’m so glad that our Heart and Stroke Foundation has launched The Heart Truth, a campaign to help fund research about women’s heart disease, and to educate women about the risk factors, symptoms and most of all prevention of our #1 health threat.
The Red Dress is the official symbol of this campaign. As the Heart and Stroke Foundation describes it: “It’s feminine, strong and confident, capturing the spirit of the cause in a symbol that women across Canada can identify with and feel proud of. The Red Dress represents women’s courage and passion as they raise awareness about our heart health.”
And the Red Dress symbol already has a proven ability to reach women. The 2008 inaugural Heart Truth campaign launch nearly doubled Canadians’ awareness (from 13% to over 23%) that heart disease is the #1 killer of Canadian women. But we still have a long way to go.
Please show your own support for this important cause by wearing a Red Dress lapel pin, available at your local Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Office, or through their online order form. (In the U.S., you can order your Red Dress pin here ). Red Dress lapel pins are striking conversation-starters and 100% of net proceeds go directly to The Heart Truth campaign to support women’s heart disease research and awareness.
Can’t get enough red dresses? Sit back and enjoy these 2009 Red Dress Fashion Show highlights. You’ll recognize celebrity runway models ranging from Olympic athletes to national news correspondents and familiar TV stars (and of course a real supermodel or two) – all strutting their stuff in stunning red dress creations by Canada’s most talented designers.
But first, sign up for Heartbeats, the free weekly Heart and Stroke Foundation tipsheet on heart-healthy ways to introduce small but powerful changes in your lifestyle that add up to a year’s worth of major overall improvement.
Find out more about The Heart Truth campaign.
What do you think? Share your opinion or return to homepage
on February 18, 2010 on 12:13 pm
Thanks for this – I will wear my little red dress pin proudly not only for Heart Month in February but all year long. I love Gloria’s idea about having a few extra ones to hand out. This is why the pink ribbons of breast cancer awareness are so effective – they are everywhere, but the poor little red dress is seen much less frequently. We need to change that, one red dress pin at a time, to help improve heart disease awareness in women and those who love them.
I’m a new subscriber – love your website.
on February 15, 2010 on 11:00 am
I found this link on del.icio.us today. I have bookmarked it , will be back again to check out some more later .. good article. Perfect timing for Heart Month. I’m wearing my little red dress pin with pride all month – and probably longer.
Many thanks.
on February 11, 2010 on 1:11 am
Just in time for HEART MONTH! Every woman should be wearing a little RED DRESS PIN. It’s a conversation starter and one small way to get women talking about a serious health threat. I really love the way you write. Thank you for this.
on October 22, 2009 on 5:15 pm
I have put a link to this article from my website [...] The Heart Truth: what;s that little red dress all about? [...]
on October 18, 2009 on 9:11 pm
Carolyn
Thank you a thousand times over. The information in the Red Dress campaign is so important, we should be shouting it from the roof tops every chance we get.
I keep a supply of “Red Dress” pins with me at all times, one on each of my handbags and jackets. They open a lot of conversations and I usually end up giving another one away. Keep up the great work.