Have You Fallen For The 'Motorboating' Video and 'No Bra Day' Gimmick?
Breast Cancer Awareness month, in all it's Pink glory, gives us a fuzzy feeling when we buy a really expensive Pink product in support of the cause. But there is a dark truth behind Pinktober that breast cancer survivors want us to know.
By Judith Yeoh — 18 Oct 2013, 12:43 PM — Updated almost 11 years ago
The viral "Motorboat for Breast Cancer" video that takes advantage of women
I worry that videos like this will spawn copy-cat videos. That for every million that watch, there will be a couple of hundred thousand that think that sexual objectification is OK as long as you justify it with a cause.
independent.ie
The "No Bra Day" that sexualizes women
Are you kidding me? How on earth could a day where girls and women are encouraged to post and share photos of their braless breasts and to walk around with their nipples poking through their shirts be “supportive” for women who are living with or who have died from breast cancer, or who have managed to ‘complete’ the arduous treatments and disfiguring surgeries required to put them into remission?
wordpress.com
The pink excuse that companies use to gather people's support every October, a.k.a. 'Pinktober'
How do you support Breast Cancer Awareness Month? For a lot of people, it means donating by buying pink product.
Image via patienttalk.orgIronically, breast cancer survivors are not amused with Pinktober. In fact, they are disappointed with it.
"I am not a ranter by any means and I have been pretty quiet about “Pinktober” and what has come to be known as “Pinkwashing” in breast cancer circles, but seeing October 13th advertised as “National No Bra Day” and as a “fun” way to support people with breast cancer has pushed me over the edge," writes the blog Cancer In My Thirties.
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A popular gripe among advocates is that too much is spent on awareness campaigns — walks, races, rallies — at the expense of research.
The ACTUAL National No Bra Day is July 9th annually. Someone had the great idea to do a bra-less day during October — Breast Cancer Awareness Month — to support “the cause.”
Image via wordpress.comThey call it "Pink Washing", where businesses misuse the trend as a business opportunity, rather than a cause
What the people behind that campaign and this video are missing is that it's not about "saving boobies"- it's about saving the women behind the "boobies".
independent.ie
They call it "Pink Washing", where businesses misuse the trend as a business opportunity, rather than a cause
Image via huffpost.comBreast Cancer Action coined the term pinkwashing as part of our Think Before You Pink® campaign. Pinkwasher: (pink’-wah-sher) noun. A company or organization that claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product, but at the same time produces, manufactures and/or sells products that are linked to the disease.
thinkbeforeyoupink.orgPinkwashing or Pinkwashers are businesses that purposely misuse pink ribbon marketing to promote products and/or services that provide little or no benefit to breast cancer causes.
wifr.comCompanies are misusing the colour Pink and people's desire to help as part of their marketing gimmicks
Companies are misusing the colour Pink, and people's desire to help, as part of their marketing gimmicks
Image via publicradio.orgAny company can put a pink ribbon on its products. The widely recognized pink ribbon symbol is not regulated by any agency and does not necessarily mean it effectively combats the breast cancer epidemic.
thinkbeforeyoupink.orgDr. Samantha King's seminal book, Pink Ribbons, Inc. documented how companies exploit women's fears of breast cancer and everyone's desire to help do something about it, making it a gazillion dollar industry -- not really for helping women, but for companies' profits.
Companies use the ribbon to drive sales, but they make more profit than they do donate
Some companies use the ribbon to drive up sales but don’t actually donate any money to research because they say that having people simply wear their products helps raise awareness. Anyone can put a ribbon that’s pink on anything, whether they donate to breast cancer research or not.
go.comSome companies that indicate that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of a particular pink ribbon product will go to support breast cancer programs put an arbitrary “cap” on their maximum donation. Once the maximum amount has been met, the company may continue to sell the product with the pink ribbon without alerting customers that no additional funds will be donated to breast cancer organizations.
thinkbeforeyoupink.org
Companies use the ribbon to drive sales, but they make more profit than they do donate
Image via onsugar.comThis means you may be buying a product for which none of your purchase price will go to a breast cancer cause but only to the bottom line of the company.
thinkbeforeyoupink.orgAnd then there's the contradicting cancer-causing cancer-awareness products
Many companies have sold pink ribbon products that are linked to increased risk of breast cancer.
thinkbeforeyoupink.org
(L-R) Danica Patrick, driver of the #7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, Chris Williams from Chase Authentics and Teri D'Hooge from godaddy.com pose next to the #7 car which has a special paint scheme to raise money for Breast Cancer awareness during a press conference at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 1, 2012 in Hampton, Georgia.
Image via abcnews.comTake Chevy, the auto company. Racecar driver Danica Patrick recently appeared on Fox & Friends to promote breast cancer awareness. Clad in bright pink Chevy gear, she proudly shows off a pink Chevy pace car. However, as Karuna Jaggar, executive director of the nonprofit watchdog Breast Cancer Action noted, studies suggest there’s evidence that exhaust from cars might actually increase the chances of getting cancer.
go.comThen there’s pink alcohol. That sounds cute until you consider that there’s pretty sound evidence excessive alcohol consumption is linked to a higher risk of cancer. *Jaggar also pointed the finger at cosmetics, like lotions and foundations, which can contain chemicals she says have been linked to cancer.
go.com
Misguided Breast Cancer Awareness campaigns manipulate our fears and desire to help
First, it preys on people's fears of cancer and desire to do good, encouraging them to buy things to "raise awareness" or "find a cure." These same things are often laden with chemicals or hormones that can cause cancer in the first place.
Secondly, raising money for "breast cancer awareness" is absurd at this point. The people who are not aware of breast cancer are our most vulnerable populations: poor, uneducated women who don't speak English. Where are the ads that help them?
Thirdly, we're no closer to the cure now than we were when all this pink ribbon bullshit began. It's great to put money into research -- I will never argue with that. But the dollars that pour in from Breast Cancer Awareness month aren't awarded in any coordinated, scientific way.
To be fair, there are a handful of Pink campaigns that are genuine and impactful. Here's how to make sure you are not Pink-washed.
To be fair, there are a handful of Pink campaigns that are genuine and impactful. Here's how to make sure you are not Pink-washed
Image via blogspot.comWhen handled responsibly, pink ribbon products can benefit everyone involved -- the company gets good PR, the consumer gets to feel that they've helped in some small way, and worthy breast cancer organizations get much-needed funds.