Sexualization of the Pink Ribbon
This week I read a cogent post on NancysPoint dealing with how the pink ribbon has been commercialized and is now being sexualized as well. (She has some great pictures.)
As a survivor of breast cancer, I have lived without breasts or reconstruction for twenty-two years, It's almost to the place where I see breasts on others and feel puzzled. What are those funny-looking things? Why are there mounds of fat tissue on the fronts of women? Why are they placed at so many different levels?
And then I wonder why, in this current societal climate, is it mandatory that we see almost the entirety of the funny-looking things? It's almost impossible to buy clothes that aren't scooped out deeply. I see old women with crepey upper chests that should be in turtlenecks.
We don't proudly display the rolls of fat around our sides. Wait, I'll take that back. I've seen plenty of rolls. And muffin-tops.
But to use sexy poses of breasts to commercialize the pink ribbon? Is it more important to save "boobies" or to save lives? I loved my breasts, but I'd rather be alive than to have saved them.
Do check out Nancy. And also go to http://www.xojane.com/issues/what-next-in-the-name-of-breast-cancer-awareness also. This post may curl your hair a bit, but it will also enlighten you. And xojane says, "…a lot of “awareness” campaigns make it sound like the great tragedy here is not that people are dying, but that funbags go away." What a great quote! And what a crock.
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Comments
It is mind boggling sometimes isn’t it? Breast cancer isn’t sexy. It’s that simple. And it’s not all about saving breasts that’s for sure. Thanks for the mention and thanks again for your great guest post on choosing not to do reconstruction. My readers really appreciated it a lot. Thanks for this post too, Lois.
You are welcome, Nancy. I enjoyed doing the guest post. Next week I’m going to do a little excerpt and send people back to your site to see the rest. OK?