Wednesday, December 1, 2010

It's About People, Not Breasts

It’s hard to criticize people when you know that they are working hard to fight for a very worthy cause. It’s hard but sometimes I feel like it has to be done. Take, for instance, the recent rash of campaigns meant to raise awareness and money for breast cancer by playing off of American society’s obsession with breasts.

I heart boobies bracelets. Save the ta-tas bumper stickers. Save second base shirts. Cryptic facebook messages listing bra colors, or explaining where we like to put our purses in a way that sounds sexual to the uninitiated…. I feel like everywhere I turn these days there is a new sexier campaign to raise awareness and/or money for breast cancer research. A lot is lost in this, however…

I wonder how breast cancer survivors who’s breasts are forever changed, or even removed, feel about seeing pornified boobs when they attempt to support a cause that has affected them so personally. I wonder how these women feel about saving second base… I wonder how we can condone a cancer awareness campaign that makes survivors and those still fighting the disease feel badly about their bodies.

I wonder how many men don’t realize that they, too, are at risk for breast cancer because all of the awareness campaigns they see focus on women’s breasts.

I wonder how many people don’t grasp the full impact of breast cancer and what it does because their focus is drawn to a disembodied pair of boobs or a sexual act, rather than to the living, breathing people who these breasts, and this cancer, are attached to. The people who have to struggle through harsh treatments, whose lives are disrupted and bodies are changed.

I wonder how many companies are freely polluting our environment and the products that they produce with cancer-causing chemicals… and then turning around, painting some of those products pink, and giving some of the profits to breast cancer research. [This is called pink-washing and it is a very real, very scary, thing.]

I wonder how many loved ones of those who have died because of this cancer feel hurt every time they see a campaign that focuses on saving the boobies rather than saving the moments, the memories, the people who we love so much. I wonder what matters more to them: second base, or just one more day with someone they lost.

I don’t have any solid numbers, but I know I am not the only one who feels uncomfortable as a result of these campaigns. Take these comments on a Jezebel article about a campaign of this nature as proof…

“It's been two months since I've had a partial mastectomy on my right breast. Took me awhile but man, I feel like I still have a nice rack, even though they are trying to kill me. As someone with breast cancer, I absolutely hate these campaigns. Hate hate hate. I want to kill all these campaigns with fire. As everyone down thread have already eloquently said, breast cancer takes lives and destroys bodies... it doesn't kill boobs.

[Source]
“Whenever you're tempted to join in or proprogate campaigns like telling the world about your bra color or saving second base or whatever cutesy way of drawing attention to breasts, please remember that you are essentially cutting out breast cancer survivors who have had lumpectomies/mastectomies/biopsies and live with emotional and physical scars out of the discussion of their own disease. You are turning their campaign into a "Don't let boobs become like _that_ woman over there." When cancer becomes a haha *nudge* *wink* joke you're doing it wrong.

[Source]
It’s not about saving the ta-tas… it’s about saving the women and men who fight with these horrible diseases every day, and I think it’s wise that we remember that.

With that said, there are some awesome campaigns that get it right… like the Birthdays campaign from the American Cancer Society that focuses on the memories and cherished moments that will be saved by fighting cancer. One breast cancer-centered campaign that I really like was actually posted on the Women's Center blog by Michelle a few weeks ago.

This campaign, created by the The Breast Cancer Fund in the United States, was rejected by advertising spaces like Viacom "over fears that its depiction of mastectomy scars would prove to be too shocking to the public." It's incredibly disheartening that our culture seems to see disembodied breasts and sexual innuendos as a more effective and appropriate awareness-raising tool that actual depictions of the effects that this disease can have. As long as these campaigns are favored over real depictions that can make a difference then, as far as I am concerned, we are marginalizing cancer survivors and doing much more harm to the cause than good.

20 comments:

  1. I have been wanting to write a blog article about this too. Way to go Jill!

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  2. However good their intent, the juvenile and prurient focus of so many breast cancer awareness drives turns my stomach. The aim is to eradicate a disease that maims and kills human beings, and "save the boobies" turns it into a sick joke.

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  3. And why the obsession with breast cancer at all? Sure, it's a terrible disease, but it's not the only one that kills or disfigures men and women? So why is more research money spent on breast cancer than on all other forms of cancer combined?

    My mother died of colon cancer. What's the next campaign going to be? "Save The A**holes"? Oh, wait...they're already doing that in Washington, D.C.

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  4. Well written, Ms. Grimaldi. You and the others cited in this post articulate precisely why I cannot "support" these causes. I don't find the "I heart Boobies" bracelets, "Save the ta-tas" bumper stickers or Facebook status updates that use sexual innuendos to be respectful or even remotely funny. And the "Save Second Base" shirts make me cringe because, as you point out, we need to save people, not body parts. I lost a dear friend to cancer 3 years ago, and his partner described how seeing all this pink propaganda ticked him off because it just reminded him of his loss every time he saw some product designed to "raise awareness." The real awareness needs to be drawn to the fact that companies who donate "a portion of their proceeds" to research often contribute 10% or less of their profits to this research: high end labels and designer clothing designers that could afford much more than a meager 10% of profits. Cancer isn't funny, and turning these campaigns into socially acceptable jokes strips survivors of their dignity and reduces victims to the lowest common denominator whose lives are memorialized by sexuality instead of humanity and respect. Thank you for this insightful post.
    -Ula

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  5. "designer clothing manufacturers" - sorry for the redundancy...
    -Ula

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  6. I actually have to disagree with you here. My mother had breast cancer and, along with it, a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. She cannot feel anything in her breasts anymore, and for a long time she felt deeply unfeminine because of her breast cancer. These adds work for two reasons: 1) they draw attention to self-checks in a way that 'save the memory' campaigns do not. They encourage women - and their men - to examine themselves for lumps or irregularities. Perhaps it's lewd, but it works. 2) It helps survivors struggling with their womanhood come to terms with inner beauty, realizing that they are still women and beautiful, even without their natural breasts.

    I respect the opinions outlined above; but I also, as a feminist, think that emphasis of the breast as another body part prone to preventable cancer, especially in women, is a tremendous step forward. The sexualized nature of the conversation is problematic, sure, but it gives us a stepping stone to be able to openly and honestly discuss breast cancer as a society.

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  7. Wonderful post and an eye-opening one at that. I especially liked what you said about "pink-washing" --I'm getting pretty sick of turning over a pack of pink pens advertised to support breast cancer research to find that the company donates less than one percent of the proceeds from that ONE product to any research. Nauseating.

    And also thanks for mentioning the environmental impact--as an environmentalist I often try to argue my case with the health risks of greenhouse gases, plastic water bottles, etc.

    It's kind of a weird phenomenon that breast cancer has come to the top of our cancer list (in that it is what we hear about most often), probably only because of the over-sexed nature of the ad campaigns.

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  8. I agree with Jamie, Sure it can easily be taken too far... but I think it was a great idea to get men in to the fight. I havent seen nearly as much awareness for breast cancer before as I do now. I dont think that "save the tatas" was meant to be offensive, or to take the face off the survivors, I think it was to take the impact off the diagnosis. When I think about saving someones life from a horrible disease I become depressed. But if I think about saving boobs, well thats much more fun some how. It gets people to want to catch breast cancer super fast, so fast that your literally saving someones boobs. I dont see why its a bad thing to want to save someone from this fate. This campaign has lightened the mood, and brought in a lot more money. You have to play off peoples psychology sometimes, and in this case, I think its being played in a good way.

    The only problem with it is that men with breast cancer are not ever recognized. Of course thats probably true for all breast cancer campaigns. I would love a bumper sticker that said "save the moobs" ('moobs' is man and boobs put together)

    We have the same problem with male rape victims. We never represent them. I think this might be the real problem. Complaining about a campaign that works seems like a waste of time, when we should be talking about what matters... the intended message and goal; Defeated breast cancer.

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  9. My mother has dealt with breast cancer twice, losing a breast to her more recent battle. I wear my "Save the Tatas" shirt and my "I Love Boobies" wristband proudly because the humor helps me deal with the fear that I might lose my mother to this disease. If you have a problem with that, fine, but try to remember that not everyone who wears these items does so because they don't understand the severity of this disease or because they are obsessed with the sexuality of breasts.

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  10. I was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 months ago. I just stumbled upon this post.

    Before my diagnosis the idea of breast cancer seemed so far removed from my reality. I saw the facebook statuses - and struggled to understand how this would help anybody. And it didnt help me. I still ignored a lump because, hey! who gets BC at 26.

    But, I also agree with James and Lilysleeper somewhat - now, that I have it I think I appreciate the ability to laugh at it. To reduce it to one aspect of my life, to not let this disease define me (which is a lot easier said than done, i'll admit as i still spend nights awake staring at the ceiling)

    so the bracelets and the t-shirts i appreciate, because people have to know why they're buying it - so there is some conscious decision to support the cause. even i call em' my killer boobs on my blog.

    but the facebook status -so many girlfriends who were so quick to share the color of their bra have had nothing to say to me since i was diagnosed. and that's the ugly truth - choose a sexy ad and you have a lot of people participating for the flash.

    this was a long comment, i apologise.

    xmarksmyspot.wordpress.com

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  11. While I agree with some of the commenters that some people use this method of awareness raising humor to better deal with the emotional toll that having breast cancer, and having family members with it can bring, far more people really do "support" breast cancer for the same reasons mentioned in this article. I remember growing up in highschool and watching fellow student prance around in "I <3 Boobies" bracelets not because they cared, but because they could wear something slightly "offensive" at school, and get away with it. It's fine to have some humorous support methods, however, the primary way we should raise awareness and money shouldn't be so lighthearted and as a second-thought the way that the current way of handling it is.

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  12. I have to agree with you here. I have always felt a little queezy about these statements and advertisements. It's great that people are pushing the envelope to get more attention for breast cancer. But, it's a little extreme. This is a good example of how people (Americans in specific) turn a worthy cause into a sideshow. It happens all of the time and we don't even notice it. I'm glad that you brought some light to this subject. It's good to see that people can still pick out life's little in-discrepancies.

    check my blog for more feminist babble.
    www.lariot.blogspot.com

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  13. Wow, I don't think I could agree more. My mother is a breast cancer survivor thanks to a mastectomy and chemotherapy, so I know from personal experience how it changes a person. My mom is still outgoing and social, but she no longer dates. She has chalked it up to wanting to do things God's way and wait for him to bring the right man into her life, but I know that a lot of it is that she feels uncomfortable about her body now. These campaigns don't ever touch on that kind of subject and what cancer can do to a person, not just physically, but emotionally as well. And the fact that I may have breast cancer myself really makes me cringe and feel nauseous whenever I see one of those ads. Right now for me, its not important whether or not I may lose a breast to this disease. It's about my life, my own daughters and my loved ones. Making it about boobs just turns it into a rather despicable abstraction of a disease that really is as personal as it gets. The media needs to stop depersonalizing the issue and realize that not everything is going to be comfortable or easy to deal with in life. Sometimes, people need to be forced to confront the tough issues. Otherwise, we end up as a society that has no coping skills for traumatic experiences such as cancer. And this problem extends far beyond cancer. This misdirected motivation to protect others from difficult situations is exactly why there are so many people that suffer from depression and anxiety disorders. Coddling someone doesn't give them the opportunity to learn coping skills and basically just ends up doing the opposite for them than what was intended. And this is where that old saying "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions" fits in quite nicely.

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  14. Thanks for writing this. I have also been feeling annoyed by the excessive pink hype and all the booby jokes that go along with it. I AM happy that this has helped to raise so much money, awareness, and support for people suffering from this disease, but hey, what about the other ones? It might be wise to think about expanding this very successful campaign to benefit ALL cancer research and awareness...just sayin...

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  15. This is so well said. I have been having problems with it as well. I remember when a student of mine (high school) came in with a t-shirt suggesting that if you dont' check your breasts he will... It offended me, it suggested sexual attack of a man against the woman's will, and it made fun of it.
    I have issues with the pink color as well, with the way it is used on goods from ketchup, through hammers to toilet paper. It's "Safe" comapaign to raise your own sells, and has nothing to do with real care, but that's another topic.
    I discussed it once with a couple of my students (female, high school), one of whom had "I <3 boobies" bracelet and expressed exactly the same feelings as in the articles. They agreed, but also said that if that brings money to the compaign and helps fight cancer, it's still worth it, because these people wouldn't pay/support financialy otherway.
    I would be fine with it if it was one among many others, more mature and realistic campaigns, and not when it's the main stream, most common way to see around of BC awareness.

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  16. I've been wanting to write a post about this. You got it right. And by the way, why do they call it awareness? Who in the hell is not aware?

    a nearly 10-year survivor

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  17. feminists are taking it way too far. "I heart boobies" and "save the tatas" or whatever is not 'pornifying' breast cancer awareness, it's replacing the word breasts with words that are more light-hearted. Of course breast cancer is a serious thing, but is it really so wrong to replace the word breasts with boobies to raise money? People buying those products (when the proceeds go towards cancer research) are doing a lot more than you're doing by writing a blog bitching about it. So go out, and buy an "I heart boobies" bracelet, and quit complaining.

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  18. My mother died from complications of breast cancer. She had a full radical mastectomy where they literally scraped the tissue off her ribs so there was nothing to rebuild. She hated the fact that she was lopsided and de-feminized. There was nothing funny about it. There is nothing light hearted about cancer. It is not trivial, it is not humorous, it is deadly and horrible. Raising a few bucks by laughing at women who no longer have breasts is not helpful. It is mean. Making breast cancer support about breasts is wrong and unhelpful. Breast cancer is CANCER not breasts.

    Promise to donate 1% of your proceeds to testicular cancer research from selling "Save the cojones" or "I <3 Balls" bracelets and bumper stickers and see what happens. I bet you men will be angry and offended at the bad taste of reducing them to sex organs.

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  19. I'm pretty sure everyone realizes that breast cancer isn't a joke, thanks. why would you be AGAINST trying to make the process as light-hearted as possible for cancer patients? Why make it a miserable experience purposely? That's extremely selfish to keep a negative attitude about something that's already negative. For the sake of the patient, treatment should be made as positive as possible....
    But that's besides the point. "raising a few bucks by laughing at women blah blah blah" in 2010 over $100,000 was donated by the Keep a Breast Foundation, which are the people who make those bracelets. The foundation was started by two WOMEN. WHO SUPPORT BREAST CANCER RESEARCH. Making breast cancer support is obviously about breasts, what else are they supposed to make it about? Stomach cancer?
    On a last note, I'm positive that an "I <3 Balls" bracelet would NOT be taken negatively by very many men. Women need to stop complaining and appreciate all of the support breast cancer research foundations have given. These small novelty items are raising money for a positive cause, whether you like it or not.

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  20. AWESOME!!! I am a 2 x cancer survivor and I wish people stopped being so prissy about the disease. It's not pretty - get used to it. Personally I would like to see some awareness for all cancers, especially the top ten. Keep up the great work!

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