Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Why I can't stand "Pink" October

A couple weeks ago I drove by PF Changs to see that their huge horse sculptures were pink.  Aside from the fact that I'm still trying to figure out how they got them pink without damaging the sculptures, the second thought that entered my mind was "ugh, it's October again".  There will be pink football jerseys, some inappropriate slogans about "ta-ta's" on t-shirts, and stores asking for money so they can make a huge donation to whatever breast cancer society they choose.  I really can’t stand it.

You may be thinking by now that I'm heartless, but let me begin by saying that I've dealt with cancer in my family on a pretty direct level, including my mom's cancer diagnosis...twice, one being breast cancer, and I've also heard that scary word mentioned by two doctors as a possibility for myself.  I hope with all my heart that someday there's a cure.

Why is it then that I can't stand pink month?  What bothers me is that everyone is gung-ho about cancer awareness, particularly breast cancer, during October but it's so commercialized and over-the top.  I also think there's something about breasts that makes people want to talk about it more.  It's more fun to talk about saving the boobies than rectal cancer, but in the end all cancer is cancer, right?  It’s a bit confusing that women are actually objectified during many “awareness campaigns” in a way that’s become socially acceptable in this supposed celebration of their strength and survival.

One of the real issues for me is that once someone actually has cancer of any kind, those people that were all about wearing pink and donating their $1 at the grocery store are nowhere to be found.  They don't deliver food, they don't call or stop over, and some of them seem to have dropped off the face of the earth.  That's not true of everyone but there was a very, very, very small group of friends who were there for me when I was terrified about my mom's breast cancer diagnosis, and I wasn’t even the one with the cancer.  Real cancer makes people uncomfortable.  The few people that were there asked what they could do, checked in on how I was, and asked about my mom and how she was feeling.  They didn't wear bright t-shirts that publicized their actions but they remained a quiet, supportive presence.

"Pink" month is marketed as a time to celebrate survivors and raise awareness and money for research, however is it really doing that?  So many people flaunt their pink for breast cancer but do they really take the time to do their monthly breast exam at home, get a yearly mammogram, or take steps to reduce other risk factors such as adjusting diet or adding exercise?  When you donate your $1 or purchase a pink product, do you really know where that money is going?  Sometimes it is in fact going to a great organization that is funneling that money into research, awareness, preventative care for women, etc., but other times it's just going to pay for that pink water bottle made with BPA which ironically has been linked to cancer.

The month is about fighting breast cancer and the strong survivors, but it can be painful for people whose friends and family members aren't survivors.  Not everyone survives and that doesn’t mean that they didn’t fight, that they didn’t deserve to be well.

Prevention and research is great, but sometimes we Americans get so sucked into the commercialism of it all that we don’t realize that what we’re doing is hypocritical or that we’re overlooking the real issues and solutions.


We’re almost to the end of “pink” month and I’m not quite sure if I’m more excited to stop seeing shirts about saving the ta-ta’s or the end of the election signs cluttering every corner.  But, that’s a topic for another day.

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