A teenage boy stands in front of me in line at a coffee shop. As he orders, I can’t help but notice the stack of rubber bracelets on his wrist, all reading, “I ❤ Boobies.”
With the start of October, it seems as though a wave of Pepto-Bismol pink sweeps over merchandise. Countless corporations take part in this “pinkwashing” - everything from shoes, potato chips, and yogurt to toilet paper is adorned with pink ribbons, all claiming to donate a percentage of proceeds to Breast Cancer Awareness. Recently, BCA has taken a cheekier, sexier approach. Numerous companies such as The Keep A Breast Foundation (the sellers of those rubber bracelets) and the Save the Ta-tas Foundation use light-hearted merchandise to market to a wider audience.
Now, I’m not arguing that trying to appeal to a broad audience to raise money for breast cancer research/awareness is wrong, but when all the focus is placed on the breasts, what happens to the woman? Where does she fit into the equation?
These sexier Breast Cancer Awareness foundations tap into our culture’s obsession with breasts. Compared to other forms of cancer, breast cancer finds itself as the focal point of research and marketing. The easy explanation for this is that breasts are considered sexy. I mean, who doesn’t love boobs? By focusing on a commonly fetishized body part, these foundations create marketing gold. The popularity of these foundations’ merchandise is testament to the old adage “sex sells.” You wouldn’t expect to see this same marketing approach for other types of cancer.
My main problem with these sexualized campaigns is that all the attention is focused on a woman’s breasts, and not the woman herself. Slogans such as “Save the Ta-tas” and “Save Second Base” only reinforce the idea that a woman’s value lies primarily in her sexuality and looks. These campaigns suggest that the main incentive for breast cancer research is for nothing else but to preserve a woman’s sexual attributes. When Angelina Jolie underwent a preventive double mastectomy earlier this year, the internet was quick to respond to her decision. Despite the 87% percent of developing breast cancer due to the BRCA1 gene, many people used Facebook and Twitter to mourn the loss of her breasts. Angelina Jolie’s situation just goes to show how breasts apparently hold more importance than the actual woman’s life.
Breast cancer is not pretty, nor is it sexual. With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month it’s important to keep in mind where our attention should be focused. I’m all for helping cancer patients, I’m just not okay with companies sexualizing women’s bodies in the name of charity.
Megan is a freshman Writing, Literature & Publishing major from sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. She enjoys red lipstick, kombucha, cats, and driving her Volkswagen Beetle named Sasha. She also pretends she's Marina & the Diamonds in her spare time. You can contact Megan on her Twitter or Facebook.