Feminist Looking Glass

I was on Facebook yesterday when I started noticing my friends posting names of colors on their statuses. “Beige!” some of them said. “Black,” and “Purple,” were other popular posts. And then there was one notable “Hot Pink!” paired with a wink face emoticon, that received about 10 ‘likes’ from male users. I had no idea why my Facebook friends were naming colors, and so I googled it.

Apparently, yesterday Facebook users were supposed to write the color of the bra they were wearing, a meme designed in the name of “Breast Cancer Awareness.” Typing bra colors would take over Facebook’s News Feed, as the viral campaign intended, and would therefore prompt users to ‘think’ about breast cancer.

I definitely  noticed some reaction on my Facebook News Feed by my friends’ bra color announcements, but none of it seemed to be breast cancer related. In fact, I’m pretty sure cancer wasn’t on anyone’s minds. Rather, there were a bunch of ‘thumbs up’ from guys, or comments like “ow ow!” or “purrr” or “sexxxy,” from male and female users alike.

This certainly isn’t the first time something ‘sexy’ or commercialized has been done in the name of breast cancer awareness. In fact, ‘breast cancer awareness’ is everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. Walk down any aisle of the grocery store, and half the products you see will come with a pink ribbon on the packaging, or advertisements that some portion of a sale will go to breast cancer research. Products like Kraft Mac & Cheese or Fritos vow that by purchasing their good, you’re joining the “fight” against breast cancer. But these goods happen to be owned by giant corporations and are overly processed & undoubtedly contain chemicals that could potentially contribute to the illness.

And then there’s the infamous “Save the Boobs” campaign that features a hot chick’s  jiggling breasts in a bikini to remind us all that cancer is the enemy. This commercial says we should fight cancer– not necessarily to save real, human lives of mothers, sisters, wives, friends– but to save sexy boobs.

Prompting people to buy products encourages consumerism in place of real action. It allows us to make a purchase that we still would have otherwise made– and to feel better about ourselves, without any real knowledge of how it might be contributing. We might feel fulfilled by buying the brand of processed cheese or cookies that’s marketed with a pink ribbon. And sure, contributing money to cancer research is better than not contributing– but how aware are we of the good these campaigns are actually doing?

Breast cancer awareness is now being marketed as sexy. Just as I have a problem with PETA using sexiness to sell their message, I have a problem with breast cancer being advertised with sexualized bouncing breasts- because breast cancer is about humans, not about hot body parts. And furthermore, there are many other cancers deserving of attention and time. Are ovaries not cute enough? How about lungs or the colon? And I haven’t seen prostate cancer advertised with sexual innuendos or cheeky references to “size matters”.

I care about defeating breast cancer as much as everyone else. I want women to be educated about their health, have access to mammograms and regular check-ups, and be able to afford any necessary treatments, regardless of socio-economic status. I think women of color deserve a special focus, because they die more frequently from the disease– most likely due to inequalities in access and prevention. But I’m not sure how making the pink ribbon a staple of pop culture while sexualizing the cause is really the best way to help. It’s another example of what some have called “Slacktivism”- a type of faux activism that really doesn’t produce results.

In the words of Newsweek blogger Mary Carmichael:

“But ultimately, what’s the point of it?…This isn’t awareness or education; it’s titillation.”

Filed under: Advertising, Health, Pop Culture, Sex Tagged: | Advertising, breast cancer, facebook, Feminism, Sex