A very stylish way to fight breast cancer

Thursday evening was a night of glamour, live performances, celebrity appearances and philanthropy at the inaugural Choose to Fight On Fashion Show at the Galen Center.

Photo by Katelynn Whitaker | Daily Trojan

Founded by Candace Ravan, a sophomore majoring in international relations (global business)and Tattijani Ribeiro, a junior majoring in fine arts, Choose to Fight On is an organization dedicated to spreading awareness about breast cancer.

“We were surprised to find out that there wasn’t a breast cancer awareness group at USC, nor had there been any student-run events benefiting this cause,” Ravan said. “We decided to take it upon ourselves to organize the first.”

Ribeiro, too, was surprised by the absence of a breast cancer awareness club at USC. Growing up in Marin County, Calif., which has one of the highest rates of breast cancer in the United States according to the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, disease awareness and prevention was an integral part of Ribeiro’s adolescence.

Founded this year, Choose To Fight On’s goal is to “inspire others to work for change and to keep fighting on against breast cancer,” according to its mission statement.

The club partnered with the Noreen Fraser Foundation and its “Men for Women Now” campaign. Founded by Fraser, a stage IV breast cancer survivor, the Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to fundraising for research into detecting and treating women’s cancer.

The organization’s most recent “Men For Women Now” program urges men to encourage the women in their lives to eat healthy food, exercise regularly and not smoke. With a heavy emphasis on early detection, the campaign also urges men to adamantly encourage women to schedule an appointment for an annual mammogram and pap smear, as well as to frequently perform self-breast exams.

Fraser opened the evening with a heart-felt speech expressing her gratitude to Ravan and Ribeiro for donating all of the event’s proceeds to her foundation.

“I am thrilled to be working with USC students,” Fraser said. “Every step we can take to promote healthy living and educating in this community is an important one.”

Joining her on stage was 90210 star AnnaLynne McCord, who attended the event to support her grandmother, a two-time breast cancer survivor.

Before the fashion show began, guests enjoyed an open bar and mingled with each other in the brightly lit red room. Groups of girls in wide-legged jeans and sky-high heels clambered over booths set up by clothing designer Superdry and tanning brand Fake Bake.

Champagne glasses and clutches were put down momentarily as girls eagerly grabbed pens and signed up for $10 spray tans after the show and entered a raffle to win free clothing.

The event was representative of many facets of the USC student body — Greek students, athletes and various student-run organizations showed their support by walking the runway and promoting the event with viral videos.

Attendees took their seats as Evan Paley, a senior majoring in communication, took the stage as emcee for the evening. One of USC’s a capella groups, the SoCal VoCals, kicked off the event, quickly followed up by sophomore singer Rozzi Crane who belted Cee Lo’s “F*ck You.”

Then, the show began. Students modeled a variety of styles by Moo Moo, Crap Eyewear Glasses, Superdry and Seaweed Denim.

“It was so great that the night took the fun and glamour of fashion and utilized it to bring awareness to such an important cause,” said Shannon Goddard, a sophomore majoring in business administration and one of the night’s models.

Fellow model Hannah Gotfredson, a sophomore majoring in communication, agreed.

“It was a night about friends supporting their friends in the show, and ultimately about us supporting the fight against cancer,” she said.

As the show wound down, Paley came back on stage, strutting down the runway clad in a bathing suit and carrying a life preserver. Paley’s final message was to urge men to be lifeguards for the women in their lives, and for women to be lifeguards for themselves against breast cancer. As he finished, the crowd burst into a standing ovation.

“It was not only a night filled with entertainment, but it was an extremely empowering night for women,” said Natalie Cohen, a sophomore majoring in communication.