Every October 1st (the first day of Breast Cancer awareness month) I wake up knowing that my Twitter and Instagram feed will be overflowing with posts from campaigns like “save the boobies” and “save the tatas.” A lot of people don’t realize that these popular campaigns can actually be dehumanizing and demeaning toward women.
According to BreastCancer.org, in 2014 alone there is expected to be 232,670 new cases of breast cancer in women. About 40,000 of these women are expected to die from the disease. About 85% of the women diagnosed don’t have a family history of breast cancer. This disease is causing women from all around the world to lose their lives every single day.
Campaigns like “save the boobies” and “save the tatas” try to raise awareness by featuring men and women talking about how much they love to feel, rub, and touch “boobs.” These campaigns focus too much on the saving of the physical breasts rather than the saving actual lives. It turns women into sex objects by conveying the message that a woman’s femininity is measured by her ability to have breasts and use them in a way that is appealing to men.
BreastCancer.org states that between 11-25% of women diagnosed with breast cancer choose to undergo a double mastectomy. That is thousands of brave women who chose to save their lives and get rid of the boobies despite the messages they receive telling them that the boobies is what we really want to save. Every day these women deal with scars of surgery and mental scarring telling them that are lacking one of the very things one needs to be womanly, breasts.
The way breast cancer is handled is just one aspect of society’s objectification of women and our bodies. This isn’t a problem that can be solved in this October, this year, or maybe even this decade. However, we can start by desexualizing a disease that effects and kills thousands of women each year. We can start by supporting the fighters and survivors of breast cancer and trying to save lives; if we save the boobies in the process that is great, but saving a life is much more important. Part of the process of desexualizing breast cancer starts with doing more to talk about prevention and early detection of breast cancer rather than merely spreading awareness that breast cancer exists. Although painting your nails pink and watching NFL players wear pink socks is cute and a form of support, we need more direct action in teaching women how to detect breast cancer as early as possible.
Here are 6 signs and symptoms that women should look out for:
1. A lump or mass in the breast
2. Discharge from the nipple other than breast milk
3. Pain in the breast or nipple
4. Swelling in the breast even if no lumps are found
5. Thickening or redness of the nipple
6. Nipple turning inward