Since 1985 October has been celebrated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, often symbolized by pink ribbons and the color pink. It is interesting to note that the awareness month was started by the drug company AstraZeneca (which manufactures several breast cancer drugs) and the pink ribbon originated from cosmetics giant Estée Lauder.
In October breast cancer fundraising walks are held in many countries, but the most visible part is the amount of pink products in the stores raising money for breast cancer research. This is also the part that angers many people with breast cancer.
"As someone who has been living with breast cancer for several years I get pink ribbon fatigue before October even begins", says Laurie Kingston, author of the book Not Done Yet: Living With Breast Cancer, which is based on her blog Not Just About Cancer.
Common Complaints about Breast Cancer Awareness Month
There are several things about the pink marketing that anger people, often known as "pinkwashing".
- Serious, deadly illness is reduced into something cute and pink
- Patients feel exploited by companies selling pink products
- Often only a tiny share of the profits is donated to breast cancer research
- Some of the pink products can actually increase the risk of breast cancer or are otherwise questionable
- The focus is almost entirely on women, even though men can also get breast cancer
- Other cancers and illnesses only get a fraction of the attention
Products used in money-making include e.g. fatty sugar-laden desserts (which promote obesity, a known risk factor of breast cancer) and makeup products with known carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals) associated with breast cancer.
For example cosmetics giant Estée Lauder has lobbied against legislation that would require cosmetic manufacturers to report the use of carcinogenic chemicals, while participating in pink ribbon campaigns to raise breast cancer awareness.
"I really resent big corporations making a profit - while donating only a tiny percentage to breast cancer research - on some disposable item that has been made under questionable environmental conditions by workers who are paid less than a living wage", Laurie Kingston says.
Comparison with Other Illnesses
Breast cancer is admittedly very common, but luckily almost 90% of women survive it. Many do not realize that lung cancer kills almost twice as many women as breast cancer - it is less common, but far deadlier. And no, not everyone who gets lung cancer has smoked cigarettes.
Awareness campaigns about other cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and ovarian cancer, only get a fraction of the funding and attention that breast cancer gets. Who even knows when lung cancer awareness month is or the color of the ovarian cancer ribbon? (November and teal, respectively.)
Cardiovascular disease kills about 10 times as many women as breast cancer, and is both well treatable and preventable. That is not to say that breast cancer is not an important issue, but the attention it receives is clearly disproportionate.
What You Can Do
"If someone feels truly moved to do something to end breast cancer, she can make a direct donation to an organization doing good work", Laurie Kingston points out. You might want to avoid The American Cancer Society, though.
Kingston also suggests lobbying governments and universities to undertake research aimed at prevent cancer.
"Pharmaceutical companies have no interest in prevention, so it is much harder to access funding for this purpose", she notes. Currently only about 5% of breast cancer research money goes to cancer prevention studies.
If you want to show support to someone in your life who is fighting breast cancer, ask if you can help her with practical matters, such as household chores or grocery shopping. For most people practical support means a lot more to them than a friend donning a pink ribbon.
More Information
Aronowitz Robert A. Unnatural History: Breast Cancer and American Society. Cambridge University Press 2007.
King Samantha. Pink Ribbons, Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy. University of Minnesota Press 2006.
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