CoppaFeel! founder Kris Hallenga says it’s OK to not be boob-confident but that doesn’t mean don’t check them

OVER many years of chatting about boobs, I’ve heard my fair share of excuses for why people don’t check theirs – from “I forget” to “I didn’t know I had to”.

It saddens me every time someone says they don’t check because they don’t like their boobs, or that they were afraid to touch them or look at them.

According to research at Anglia Ruskin University and University College London, women who are not happy with their breast size are less likely to check their boobs.

Most of the 384 British women polled reported some dissatisfaction with their breasts.

Thirty-one per cent wanted smaller breasts and 44 per cent wanted to be larger.

Breast augmentations are still by far the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure for women and have risen year on year.

It’s easy for me now to speak candidly and openly about boobs.

I have made a career out of it and lost count of how many times I’ve had to get my chest out to people I’ve just met over the past nine years.

But I’ve not always been boob-confident.

My right boob was annoyingly bigger than the left and it bothered me throughout my late teens.

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It didn’t affect my life much but it played on my mind.

I was pretty scared the first time a boy saw me topless and I wasn’t particularly happy to catch myself in a mirror.

But that wasn’t why I didn’t check my boobs for breast cancer. I didn’t check because I didn’t know I had to.

The more work goes into ensuring people understand the importance of having a regular look and feel, the more that excuse deminishes.

BE AWARE Do YOU know the key signs of breast cancer?

I’m not subscribed to the message of loving every inch of your body. It’s unrealistic.

Body hang-ups are normal but when they become unhealthy, that’s when it becomes a problem.

It’s OK to not love your boobs. But it’s not OK to avoid checking in with them once in a while to see if anything is changing.