If you’ve shopped for dish soap, underwear, batteries, tennis balls, light bulbs, cereal, or anything else in the past couple of years you will have noticed the use of a ribbon emblem
with a pink background. Nearly every company in America wants us to think that they support women with breast cancer and/or monetarily support breast cancer research to end the disease.
Some companies have used the emblem falsely. It was found that none of their profits were actually going to breast cancer research, but they just jumped on the pink bandwagon to make their products more attractive to women.
As consumers, we assume that what is on the label has gone through rigorous editing and thorough inspection for accuracy and truthfulness before slapping it on the product and putting it on a store shelf. Obviously, that is often far from reality.
As a woman, I’m all for ending breast cancer… and every other kind of cancer. The cynic in me just wonders why everyone is focused on breasts and not also on colons or brains or kidneys or lungs or prostates?
I was recently at a county fair in the commercial building and a garbage service was trying to talk me into changing services to theirs. One of the “perks” being that I could get a pink garbage can. Yes, a GIANT PINK GARBAGE dumpster. Think about it.
I was wondering why they didn’t have purple garbage cans to show support of prostate cancer or brown garbage cans to show support of colon cancer. Nope, they’re apparently only worried about breast cancer.
Is this strange phenomenon because of advertiser’s creepy propensity toward inserting large busted women in all of their commercials from cars to laxatives? Or Hollywood’s use of surgically enlarged women for all their blockbuster movies? Are they collectively really worried about women suffering from this horrible disease or just that less breasts is bad for business?
A good friend of mine died from lung cancer not too long ago. My brother had a kidney taken out and a brain tumor removed two years ago. He’s still just trying to stay one step ahead of his cancer. I’m sure he would be thrilled to know that people are supporting cancer research and giving to the cause, but even if there were a bright red dumpster for his type of cancer, I’d pass. Not because it’s wrong to show outward support of ending cancer, but because giving to cancer research directly is much more apt to help than paying for a designer trashcan.
You can help like I did by donating to the American Cancer Society in honor of someone you know who is fighting cancer now, or in memory of a family member or friend who was taken too soon.
Hoping and praying for the cure,
Barbara
Joy DeKok says
You are SO right, Barbara!
Glynis Smy says
I am with you on this post, Barbara. It frustrates me, too!