The “Special Breast Cancer Awareness Issue” floods the populace in October. It might be in a small town in upstate New York, a metropolitan city in Florida, or a magazine dedicated to the Jersey Shore. It doesn’t really matter. The template is the same. Shape the culture, fuel the industry, and do it in the name of “awareness.” Rachel C. . . . → Read More: 4. Factoids, Impressions, and Impressions
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Photo from http://www.al11pisces.com/category/awareness/ There’s a lot of talk about breast cancer awareness – the need for awareness, the desire to raise awareness, the use of pink ribbons or bracelets or t-shirts to symbolize awareness. The awareness mantra works for generating interest in the cause of breast cancer, creating fanfare, selling products, and maintaining the message that breast cancer . . . → Read More: 30 Days of Breast Cancer Awareness – 2011 Pinking the White House for Breast Cancer Awareness Note: A version of this essay was published on Pink Ribbon Blues and republished on the Oxford University Press Blog on September 30, 2011. And it’s still applicable. — September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Will the White House be lighted in teal just as it’s been lighted in pink . . . → Read More: The Teal before the Pink: Ovarian Cancer Awareness The intensive public focus on pink ribbon awareness campaigns not only diminishes deep awareness about the realities of breast cancer. It also diminishes general awareness of other health conditions, including other types of cancers and populations of women and men who have unique needs when they are diagnosed and treated. National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week (April 3-9), first launched . . . → Read More: National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week (April 3-9) …the root causes of breast cancer remain unchanged? …the information disseminated is inaccurate, incomplete, or decontextualized? …the messages trivialize, misrepresent, or marginalize the disease or the diagnosed? …the campaign uses sexualized language and imagery to sell itself? ..the campaign intentionally or inadvertently supports products or services that contribute to the total cancer burden (i.e., pinkwashing)? …the campaign shifts attention and . . . → Read More: What Good Is Awareness If… The commercialization of breast cancer has been a growing trend. Beginning with the emergence of the pink ribbon in 1992, there has been an increasing notion that breast cancer “awareness” results from pink osmosis. Many, including myself, have asked: What exactly are people made aware of? When analyzing the imagery associated with pink ribbon products and awareness activities, the messages . . . → Read More: “It’s Time To Get Real” Re-post of Is the Pink Ribbon a Bad Idea? Maybe In a new book, sociologist Gayle Sulik examines how all those pink ribbon marketing campaigns associated with breast cancer may be doing more harm than good. RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—As National Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, it’s likely you’ve seen more than a few pink ribbons, pink . . . → Read More: Interview with Emily Main of Rodale.com Gergana Koleva wrote a thought provoking article for AOL’s Wallet Pop, about how consumers might distinguish between “legitimate support for the cause from shameless product marketing.” When the symbol is used for both purposes, consumers are left in the dark about what to support and what to avoid. Check out Koleva’s article. I had a chance to talk with her . . . → Read More: “Cure for Cancer Stalls…Companies in the Black” According to an article in The Vindicator by Kristine Gill, Susan G. Komen for the Cure stands firm that there is not enough pink. Carrie Glasscock, manager of corporate relations, states: “There’s not enough pink when every 69 seconds a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer around the world. Women are still dying from this disease.” Similarly, a . . . → Read More: Is Any Awareness Good Awareness? |
"women urged to get screened because it might save their lives. But that’s only 1 possible outcome, and it’s the least likely one" @cragcrest cutt.ly/jei8WJr 
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