Every October pink ribbons are used to raise awareness of breast cancer. But in this viral campaign co-founded by cancer gene carrier Beth Whaanga, a red dress and revealing photos of the scars beneath it, aims to put the spotlight on the realities of cancer.

Earlier this year Under the Red Dress co-founder Beth Whaanga asked friend Nadia Masot to take photos of her near-nude body covered in scars. Since then, the images have gone viral and the pair have founded Under the Red Dress to get people talking about a less explored aspect of cancer. (Supplied:)

Beth Whaanga wears her scars openly.

Earlier this year she had total bilateral mastectomy and bilateral TRAM flap reconstruction.

She is currently waiting to have a hysterectomy.

A carrier of the BRCA2 mutation, Whaanga had the preventative surgery to significantly reduce her risk of contracting life-threatening cancer.

While it was a confronting choice to make, Ms Whaanga and her family decided that her longevity was a priority.

"It's definitely a difficult decision, I think, for any woman to lose their breasts," she said.

"We're connected to them through our sexuality, it helps us to identify as women, it helps us to identify with motherhood so to lose that part of your body is very, very painful not just physically but emotionally."

As part of her healing, she asked long-time friend Nadia Masot to take photos of her scarred body, which initially she only planned to share with family and friends.

The graphic images weren't received well in some of her social media circle.

"I was unfriended by a lot of people who found the photos offensive and confronting," she said.

"My younger sister, who has had some breast issues of her own, found that very hurtful and she chose to share them on a public forum.

Since then the near-nude photos have gone viral.

Ms Whaanga has since embraced the images to co-found the Under the Red Dress campaign.

The mother of four, originally from Alstonville on the New South Wales north coast, has been leading the project from Brisbane.

While Pink Ribbon Day is held in October each year, she said this campaign aims to highlight all cancer and the less-explored side of the disease.

"People think about that pink ribbon - not that women lose their breasts, not that women lose their hair, not that women lose their ovaries and reproductive organs," she said.

"It's not just a pink ribbon, it's not just a fun run; it's a tragedy."

"There's that taboo around body image and what people find attractive and these images are very confronting and it makes people think about what cancer does to somebody."

Ms Whaanga is travelling to the region where she grew up this week to be a part of an event supporting the Under the Dress plight.

The Stella Strut will see women taking to the streets of Lismore in red heels on Wednesday afternoon to raise awareness and funds for the initiative.

Organiser Rebekka Battista, from women-in-business network group, The Stella Network, says it also gives people the chance to be vocal about their own journey with cancer.

"We just have always wanted to do a strut through the streets but we wanted to find a charity that aligns women and who we are and what we go through."