While this piece is meant to be about breast cancer awareness, I think the discussion should logically begin with a look at the issue of giant pandas.
No one can deny that giant pandas are absolutely adorable. Because of this, The World Wildlife Fund has made the giant panda the face of its campaign, inviting millions of dollars in donations towards panda conservation each year. But because pandas are over-advertised and to some extent exploited by the media, many other animals that deserve the same amount of need and attention are often overlooked.
The same can be said about the breast cancer awareness campaigns.
For many years, October has been dubbed “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”. This awareness campaign has been a wild success, drawing much needed attention to the causes, details and treatments associated with breast cancer, along with significant fundraising. And this is great! It is always beneficial to learn more about the effects of a terrible disease and the ways to prevent it, and devoting an entire month to learning about breast cancer is, in theory, an excellent way to do so.
What I find problematic, however, is that the “awareness” part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been achieved largely through over-commercialization. Instead of emphasizing necessary mammograms or donating money to charities, Breast Cancer Awareness Month has become synonymous with decorating everything with pink ribbons and eating pink frosted cupcakes. While bright pink may be inherently “girly” thus perhaps making it an appropriate representative color for a disease that largely affects the female population, I do worry that pink-ifying everything somewhat trivializes the true meaning of the awareness campaign: to support survivors, honor those who have lost their lives, and work for a future free of cancer.
Further, while some may find the quintessential and popular “Save the Tatas” shirts to be cute, I find them a bit disturbing. Are “tatas” really the top priority in preventing this disease? Women with this disease fight every day for the sake of their health and vitality, not for the sake of their boobs.
More shockingly, last October, a popular pornographic website promised to donate one cent to a breast cancer awareness foundation for every 30 views of certain videos that showcased breasts. Yes, it is great that the website managed to donate a lot of money for the cause, but the means by which this money was donated in many ways undermines the sense of empowerment that cancer awareness campaigns should serve to instill in women fighting against cancer. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is meant to empower women, and wearing clothes that objectify the female body and accepting sponsorship from exploitative sites is doing just the opposite.
Further, Breast cancer is not even the most common illness that women suffer from. Did you know that women in the U.S. are more likely to die of heart disease or a stroke than of cancer? But, perhaps because boobs are more appealing to publicize than clogged arteries, these other prominent and threatening diseases, like the sad animal friends of the giant panda, receive less media attention and funding as leading health problems.
What’s more, it’s important to remember that breast cancer does not only affect women! Did you know that one in 1,000 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year? Many men are ashamed of their illness, as the media increasingly moves breast cancer into “female world,” thus making men even less likely to self-evaluate themselves, to get mammograms, and to seek treatment. The annual October pink-ifying adds to the embarrassment because of how traditionally feminine this color is.
This being said, my apprehensions about the commercialization of Breast Cancer Awareness Month will never stop me from encouraging those around me to donate to charities if they want to. In no way do I mean to undermine breast cancer fighters, survivors, or their families in my criticism of this month. Breast cancer is a very terrifying disease for both men and woman and any money donated to the cause is worth something, no matter where it comes from.
The illness, however, needs to stop being exploited so much, because it does seem like many people do not take it as seriously as it needs to be. I wish that the quest for awareness did not have to be overshadowed by an overabundance of bubblegum pink and shirts that pledge to “Save the Tatas”.
So, this October, make a pledge to ditch the language of fighting for the “tatas,” forego the pink cupcakes, and instead reach out to survivors, caretakers, and family members and hear their stories.
[Sources: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month; the CDC; American Cancer Society]
[Photo Sources: Flickr, Jessica Luther]