Wordless(ish) Wednesday: In Raising Breast Cancer Awareness, Is this Tasteless?
Consider this:
According to the American Cancer Society, “the use of alcohol is clearly linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer” and the National Cancer Institute says “even moderate drinking has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer.”
So… What do you think of liquor companies connecting their products with breast cancer awareness. Is this offensive? Increasingly some breast cancer awareness advocates have become critical of companies jumping on the pink bandwagon.
Or do you think it’s OK to raise awareness by any means necessary? (And what is “awareness” really? Shouldn’t it really be fund-raising?)
*For the record, I ordered this drink on my Delta flight. It was my last hurrah so to speak returning home from Bermuda.
Hmmm, I’m not sure that it’s “offensive” but it sure seems counter-productive if nothing else. It depends on just how the company is supporting and promoting breast cancer awareness. I mean, putting the alcohol in a pink can with a ribbon and saying, “Hey, breast cancer exists…drink up!” isn’t really helping anyone. Perhaps putting the facts linking alcohol to breast cancer right on the can would be more effective.
You’re right that it seems most “awareness” is just linked to funding for research, but in my opinion what awareness should be is education. We’re all aware that breast cancer exists, but what everyone is not necessarily aware of is steps you can take to prevent breast cancer and how to detect it early.
Perhaps teaching about breast cancer prevention and detection should be part of the “big talk” that all the girls get in school about their period. In all my life no person has ever personally shown me how to do a self breast exam, I’ve read about it and seen it on tv, but maybe that’s not enough. Maybe they should be discussing breastfeeding then as well, considering that breastfeeding also lowers the risk of breast cancer. Women who come from families with a history of breast cancer should talk to their daughters early about it.
I also think that these Facebook status updates apparently for breast cancer awareness are stupid, ineffective, and borderline offensive. Putting the color of your bra, where you like to leave your purse (“I like it on the…”), or what cravings you’re having during a fake pregnancy (I’m 14 weeks and craving tacos), has nothing to do with BCA and doesn’t help anyone. There is no link to info about breast cancer, no facts connected to it, no heartfelt stories from survivors or victim’s family members. Maybe some people leave some facts or info but this has not been my personal experience with it. And as a woman who’s struggled with infertility I found all of the fake pregnancy updates incredibly insensitive.
We’re women. We’re smart and strong and intelligent, we run households and we run companies, we’ve been enduring some of the world’s greatest physical pain (childbirth) since the beginning of time and then coming back for more, and many have been able to beat breast cancer. Surely we’re smart enough to come up with a better and more effective way to really educate other women about this disease and help them to lower the risk.
*All references made to breast cancer prevention should more accurately say “lower the risk” since I don’t believe there is a 100% full proof way to prevent breast cancer.
Wow, what a thoughtful comment. Thanks for taking the time out to offer your insights. To be honest, when I took the picture I just thought it would be a good Wordless Wednesday offering. Then once I got home I really looked at the shot and thought, hmm, I can imagine that some might find this offensive, tasteless or inappropriate considering it’s Skyy vodka and alcohol has proven to be an increased risk for breast cancer. There are some campaigns out there that have really irked BC survivors, the most egregious IMO was ‘Beer 4 Boobs.’
I think we do need to educate more people about breast cancer, what the risks are, how to do self examinations, etc. I think we’ve come a long way in that respect, but like everything else, there’s more we can do. I also (obviously) am all for raising funds for research, these campaigns should be more than simply “think pink.” However the issue is that in marketing you’ve only got a few seconds to get your point across. I do love the idea of having breast cancer as part of the big girl talk in school. I’m truly surprised that no one has shown you how to do a self-examination. All of my OBGYNs have done that at my annual check-up and I do remember in college hosting a breast cancer awareness booth where they had lumps in a fake breast to let people get an idea of what they should be feeling for.
Another thing that struck me about your comment is the infertility insensitivity regarding the Facebook faux pregnancy updates. Yet another thing that hadn’t crossed my mind. I think it’s great to have this kind of dialog because you get a chance to see life through different viewpoints. <3
Interesting question Miss Melanie! I have to give that some thought.
You know Julie, I too had to give it some thought and honestly still not sure where I come down on the issue. I think personally I wasn’t offended, but I can see where others might be.
Love “-ish” … It s my all time favorite suffix 🙂
Very intriguing question. And definitely one I’m not quite prepared to fully answer. The one thing I can say is, you can never please 100% of your audience 100% of the time. And every product that supports Breast Cancer, means different things to different people. I’m not certain that this question should have a black or white Answere?
Yes, when using the suffix “ish” it says so much with just three little letters. Kate it’s true, you can’t please all the people all the time and because this is more of a personal reaction, the responses will vary. It is so not a black and white answer. It’s actually all about the “ish.”