We’ve barely had time to dip our collective toe into September and the just like the Christmas decorations we see way ahead of schedule, it seems the Pink ooze that is October has already begun.
To be perfectly honest, I feel like asking for my high blood pressure meds back (that I finally got off of) until November arrives.
Breast cancer is the ONLY disease that is sexualized and trivialize. It’s the ONLY illness that is treated like a sorority, where you’re literally welcomed in by others. Do men go around wearing a jock on the outside of their clothes in the name of ‘awareness’ for testicular cancer? Do they wear a strap on to to bring awareness to the CAUSE of penile cancer? Nope…because it’s ridiculous.
So, why sexualize cancer of the breast? What’s the point of a cryptic Facebook post, really? How is a selfie going to help anyone in actual need? What is going without a bra truly going to do for anyone? And who is going to know you’re doing it unless you either go topless or wear a thin white t-shirt to show your bare breasts – which again is only sexualizing a deadly disease….a disease that kills 113 women in the U.S. every day. A disease that I will die from because we still don’t have a cure for.
Some of these ‘fun and games’ in the name of awareness even hijack the one and only day dedicated to the Breast Cancer that kills – Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day (October 13th). You’d think that out of 31 days MBC would get more than one day of recognition. After all 40,450 Men and Women will die in 2016 because of Metastatic Breast Cancer. Don’t they deserve more than one day?
I’ve been accused of being angry and insensitive because isn’t any awareness good for the cause? I make no apologies for my strong opinions about my emphatic objections to the way Breast Cancer has been reduced to a cute, sexy marketing campaign and not the serious and potentially deadly disease that kills so many YOUNG women as well as men every day/every year.
If raising awareness is important to you personally, it would seem to me that actually doing something that would have a direct impact on folks with Breast Cancer or helping to educate those that could benefit from it would be the better option than just choosing to do something that you could do any other day of the week.
The day I stop being angry and pissed off about how the public views and treats Breast Cancer will be the day the landscape changes or more realistically, the day I die from MetastaticBreast Cancer.
Spot on! Last October the facilitator of our local cancer support group wanted to now if we were interested in “decorating a bra” for breast cancer awareness…What!?!? I asked if these bras’ were donated by women who had had mastectomies and could not use them anymore….or just didn’t want to be reminded of what they once were….nasty looks all around….Leader says, You don’t have to participate…I said I’d wait for the “Decorate a jock strap ” for awareness campaign….
Fantastic response!!! Great minds!! Hope the analogy wasn’t lost on her. Xoxo
Great post! Breast cancer is not a joke, nor should it be trivialized in any way. Thank you.
Thank you Beth!
I was just diagnosed, never really paid that much attention. But, I don’t want to join a club or wear pink. I do however want to raise awareness for early detection and if I can help in the future. I get where you’re coming from. But that’s how women are supposed to deal, I guess. Thinking of you.
I’m so sorry to hear of your diagnosis Meg. I wish you all the best with your treatment plan and what is ahead of you. Early detection is an important part of the big picture. Just keep in mind that awareness – true awareness should also include that early detection doesn’t necessarily mean a cure. Which is why it’s important to realize why these memes and games only demean the seriousness of what we face. On a side note, when you’re feeling up to it check out http://www.theunderbelly.org. It’s a digital magazine for people who have ever been touched by Breast Cancer. I’ll be keeping you in my thoughts and sending you good juju. Xoxo ~Susan