attitudes « Pink Ribbon Blues

Sharon Blynn and JaneRA: The Constraints of Gender, Commercialization, and Pink Culture

By Gayle Sulik, on October 14th, 2010

Sharon Blynn is beautiful. And, she’s bald. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 28, Blynn lost her hair to chemotherapy. What was initially an emotionally devastating experience turned into a mission to expand notions of beauty to include bald women. After completing her treatment she started Bald is Beautiful to “flip the script” and show that women could . . . → Read More: Featuring Sharon Blynn and JaneRA

Remembrance

By Gayle Sulik, on October 13th, 2010

An Excerpt from Pink Ribbon Blues—

In the early 1990s, it seemed as though society was ready to confront breast cancer. Breast cancer activism was starting to gain momentum in extending public outreach, increasing research funding, and gaining a seat at the public policy table. In August 1993, the New York Times Magazine published a story about the achievements of . . . → Read More: Remembrance

Swimming in a Sea of Pink

By Gayle Sulik, on October 10th, 2010

Talking about gender, says Sociologist Judith Lorber, is for most people the equivalent of fish talking about water. It is so common, routine, pervasive, and normal– that “questioning its taken-for-granted assumptions…is like wondering whether the sun will come up.” It seems natural and predictable. The same is true for pink. Pink ribbons are so commonplace that we’ve just gotten used . . . → Read More: Swimming In A Sea of Pink

Sarah Horton, Alive and Anti-Pink

By Gayle Sulik, on October 8th, 2010

After her diagnosis in 2007, Sarah Horton was shocked, overwhelmed, and angry. Her life had taken a sudden turn as she was thrown into a world of medical decision-making, multiple surgeries, physical and emotional trauma, personal loss, fear of death, and the onslaught of pink ribbon culture and disease politics. Yes, she was grateful to be alive, and thankful . . . → Read More: Sarah Horton, Alive and Anti-Pink

Go Pink, or Go Home!

By Gayle Sulik, on October 6th, 2010

Last year, NASCAR fans at at Lowe’s Motor Speedway cheered, “Go Pink or Go Home” as five pink cars raced around the track in support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The president and CEO of Komen served as the honorary race director, and Candy Coburn performed the song “Pink Warrior” during the pre-race celebration, which was written for . . . → Read More: Go Pink, or Go Home!

Does Commercialization of the Pink Ribbon Add Value to the Cause?

By Gayle Sulik, on October 5th, 2010

PinkRibbon.org did a “quick poll” to ask this question. Though there is no information about how many people responded to the poll or had the opportunity to respond, whether the sample was representative of any particular population, or how long the poll ran, the organization reports that 71% of responders said “YES” – pink ribbon commercialization adds value.

To answer . . . → Read More: Does Commercialization of the Pink Ribbon Add Value to the Cause?

Thinking the Unthinkable

By Gayle Sulik, on July 24th, 2010

In “1 in 8”: The Probability of Developing Breast Cancer, and Fear, I wrote about the overuse of incidence and mortality statistics to promote an unhealthy anxiousness about breast cancer. The hyper-alertness surrounding this particular type of cancer stems from the seemingly inevitable likelihood that a woman, any woman, will eventually develop the disease. This is simply not true. Seven . . . → Read More: Thinking the Unthinkable

“1 in 8” – Fear Mongering and the Probability of Developing Breast Cancer

By Gayle Sulik, on July 15th, 2010

Every year, over 700 thousand women in the United States are diagnosed with some type of cancer. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women and is the second leading cause of cancer death (after lung cancer). In 2009, the American Cancer Society estimated over 192 thousand new cases of breast cancer among women and over 40 thousand . . . → Read More: “1 in 8” – Fear Mongering and the Probability of Developing Breast Cancer