A killer has been running free throughout our society, slaying millions of people a year. And what do we do? We dress up for him. We have an entire month dedicated specifically for him. We are sold, convinced that pink is the color of breast cancer. Plastered on bracelets, cookware, t-shirts, and bumper stickers, it is almost impossible to escape it in October.
Not everyone is a survivor. There are people, myself included, that are constantly reminded of the person or people they lost with every pink ribbon, 5k run, and pink bracelet that raises awareness of breast cancer. It’s not even close to the end of October, but I’m already sick of the pink.
Since when was it okay for companies to make a profit by selling products that reportedly donate a portion of the profits to cancer research? According to Reuters.com, the Susan G. Komen organization only donated 15% of its funds to cancer research in 2011. This organization, whose main purpose is to support cancer research, gave its former CEO and founder Nancy Brinker, a 64% raise equalling $684,000. It wasn’t until June that she stepped down after the story became public. When did organizations begin to lose their main focus– raising money for cancer research and cancer victims?
Furthermore, companies have decided it’s okay to sexualize this disease. “I heart boobies” and “Save second base” slogans only bring the focus to breast, not the actual disease. Sexualizing breast cancer doesn’t support a woman who has had one or both of her breasts surgically removed. It lacks sympathy for women whose chances of having children dwindle with every chemotherapy session.
When women get sick, society tells us we have to do it in a pretty or sexual way. There’s nothing pretty about cancer. There is nothing pink about breast cancer. There is nothing sweet or cute or timid about cancer. We choose to look at pink because it’s better than looking at the sickly disease. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, killing 40,000 women every year.
A year ago, I lost my mother to breast cancer. I do not wish upon my worst enemy to watch their parent battle for their life, and lose that fight. I know I am not the only child who has lost a parent, or a close relative to breast cancer, and I know I am not the only one who starts to feel queasy once October hits. Every pink ribbon is a silent reminder of the ones we lost, making us miss our loved ones even more.
Let me clarify that I am not against fundraising money for cancer research. Hopefully, sometime in the near future, a cure will finally be found with the help of that fundraised money. It may have been too late for my mother, but it is not too late to save others. No one is against supporting breast cancer research. But please, can we start to do it in a mindful way? Let’s stop profiting from a disease that is the second leading killer among women. Let’s stop sexualizing this sickness, and end it once and for all.