A few days ago, I opened my email to see a popular clothing brand heralding in the month of October by saying “Don’t Just Stare, Save a Pair!” The “pair” was in reference to breasts, ushering in the 10th month of the year, a month meant to raise awareness of Breast Cancer.
At first, I was taken aback. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we are surrounded by the sexualization of a serious illness. And, echoing the sentiments of my roommate, I could not help but suddenly notice the commercialism of the month. In my own hometown, shirts are sold that said, “Big and Small: We Save Them All,” again echoing a disturbing trend. Are we more concerned with saving breasts than the women affected by this illness? These campaigns, though seemingly harmless to some, disregard and shame men with breast cancer, as well as those women who chose to have mastectomies.
We are subliminally told again and again that an overly sexualized portion of the body is more important than the life and mind of the patient. We are reminded of the seemingly “ideal” feminine body. Many campaigns show women covering their nipples, their boobs exposed, yet few ads show us the truth—that many women have scars on their breasts, or not breast at all. This could be very damaging. As Reed McConnell of The Harvard Crimson wrote, “…what message does this send when a woman’s “boobies” have been removed in a double mastectomy? Is there nothing left to save? And is she somehow less of a woman?”
Last year, Laura Huffman, a breast cancer survivor, wrote an incredibly moving article (please read if you have time!) on this issue. She said, “For four years now, I’ve been waiting for someone to really explain to me how shirts like these increase awareness for breast cancer in the first place. To me, they just raise awareness to the fact that women have breasts. How is wearing a shirt that says “Save the Hooters” increasing awareness for anything? How does a men’s shirt offering to check ’em for you fight the good fight?”
Campaigns like “Save Second-Base” are making a joke out of a serious problem. Do people honestly think this way? The thing is—I doubt it. I don’t think anyone’s first thought when a loved one is diagnosed with breast cancer is “Wait! What about her boobs? We must save them!” I think that those minds behind the campaign think the slogan will raise awareness, but instead, it has a negative effect. This is because the ads not only objectify women and ignore men but also fail to recognize what’s really important—those victims and survivors who need our support. By supporting campaigns that put “boobies” over “patients” we are placing value in the wrong thing. We are reiterating a message that has long been told: what your body looks like matters more than you. Instead, we need to focus on the women and men affected by cancer. There is nothing sexual about cancer. Even if “sex sells,” by using this as a tactic for raising awareness of a disease, we are not helping anyone. Instead, we need to focus on campaigns that promote self-examination and regular checkups.
Laura Huffman, who had to overcome Breast Cancer, said, “Breast cancer isn’t a joke, and what I and so many others have been through isn’t funny. It’s time we start taking a life-threatening disease seriously and showing respect and compassion to those who are currently going through or have been through treatment.”
Image Credit: Simply You Boutique, Floweren, Sole Sistas, The Broad Side, Coloribus