Some Loose Ends on Pink Ribbons

I mailed out more than 100 Boycott October buttons this year, and received dozens of e-mails from breast cancer survivors and women living with breast cancer who hate pink ribbons. Many of their comments are posted to my blog. See We Hate PINK!

So far, only ONE (1) WOMAN who has had breast cancer has written to tell me that she likes pink ribbon merchandise.

The other people who like this shlock are the marketers who sell it, and a number of people who have (or had) a friend or relative with breast cancer. They seem to feel that they are doing something to help by buying pink merchandise, and they don't want to hear the facts that would pop their bubble.

Next year's Boycott October button has already been designed, by Sara, an artist, blogger, and friend of mine. Sara writes, "Anyone ever tell you [that] you wear your cancer like a badge? Well, why not actually do that? We have the technology!"

The graphic is a breast cancer cell, in black and white, and the text says, "Doesn't look much like a ribbon, does it?"

I'll have these ready to go in plenty of time for next October, so get your requests in early! In October 2008, I will be in Japan, about as far from the pink ribbon madness as I can get.

For our Cancer Bloggers Reunion here in Seattle in late July, Sara suggested making these for all the different kinds of cancer that will be represented at the reunion. So if you have lung cancer, you get a badge with a lung cancer cell, or a prostate cancer cell if that's the disease you have, and so on.

We could even get images of our very own personal cancer cells, and use those to make the buttons or pins. "This would bring home that much harder the point of not losing the individual in the greater politico-medico-marketing architecture," Sara writes.

We could also make T-shirts with our cancer cells on the front (and no drug company logos or sponsorships of any kind to clutter up the shirts, thank you very much).

The How LOW Will Komen GO? Contest
The contest was a big hit, with entries flooding in, each one worse that the last.

A couple of women sent in entries after October 31, even though they knew they had missed the deadline for this year's contest. One of these was for pink ribbon Christmas tree ornaments.

This might just be a winner--can you imagine, an entire 6-foot noble fir decked in pink ribbon baubles? That would certainly help me have a happy holiday--a huge reminder of my cancer right there in the middle of the living room.

Maybe I could find pink twinkle lights? And Breast Cancer Barbie could substitute for the angel on the top.

Save those entries for next year, ladies. The contest will be an annual event until Komen changes its fund-raising tactics. Which it shows no sign of doing.)

Worthless Junk
Several women wrote in to tell me about the piles of deeply discounted pink junk they spotted at various retailers once November 1 rolled around. Amorette even sent a photo, which I will post if I can find it in my overflowing e-mailbox. It's even more depressing to see this stuff dumped on the reject table than it is to see it on store shelves in the first place.

Next October, I'll be posting a list of "retailers to avoid" if you want to be able to do your shopping without running a gauntlet of pink merchandise to get to the checkout. The list will include: Bed, Bath & Beyond, QFC (and other Kroger grocery stores), and Lowes. Stores that ask all shoppers at the register if they would like to donate "to the cure" will get a special AVOID symbol.

Black and Blue Awareness
One reader, Karla, wrote to tell me that, in addition to being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Who knew?

Karla has a brilliant idea, which I am going to adopt for October 2008:

What if someone decided that the "official colors" of domestic violence awareness were black and blue--get it, black and blue? (I understand it really is purple ... Unless you are in Toronto, where it is white.)

And what if someone decided that wearing black-and-blue ribbons, and marketing a melange of products in black and blue, with a small percentage of the profits going toward women's shelters, was the ideal way to drum up support?

What if there were catchy slogans?:

"Let's Punch Domestic Violence in the Gut."

"Let's All Work to Kick Domestic Violence."

What if Hanes held a "Wear Your Wife-Beater to Work" event in which employees were encouraged to wear T-shirts to work in return for a $5 donation to a women's shelter? Would everyone think that was funny and cute?

Same with the teddy bears and the dolls. Your Prostate Cancer Ken is brilliant for that reason--he has a teddy bear, the one thing men would never be given as a sop for a cancer diagnosis, but that people seem all too eager to throw at women who get breast cancer.

And believe it or not, one of my dear sisters gave another, the Barbie collector in the family, Breast Cancer Barbie. In MY honor (without asking me). Yeah, Breast Cancer Barbie is pretty, I'll allow that.

Because she doesn't have cancer. I wonder how pretty Domestic Violence Barbie would be, in her pretty poufy glittery black-and-blue ball gown and ribbon, with the rings around her eyes or bruises on her ribs to match?

As I said, I think this is a brilliant idea. For next October, I'm going to take every pink ribbon product I come across and remake it in black and blue, for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Come on, Avon, jump on this bandwagon!

Read more: Boycott October
(Scroll down.)

And, just when you thought it was safe to come out of the water: Pink Friday!

Support this blog:

@ Jeanne Sather 2007.

Comments

[Amorette]

When my boyfriend emailed me that Pink Friday thing (www.pinkfriday.org), I seriously had no words to fit the situation.

I like the badge design.

[jeanne]

Thanks for sending that along. I did have some words: We are talking about a disease, NOT a marketing opportunity.

[Perrin J.]

Let us hope the Komen people don't find out about this:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=666096

Pink guns. I am speechless.

[Diane]

I really appreciate this blog entry---feels eye-opening to me. I had wondered about the whole pink-ribbon thing and to frame it as primarily a marketing opportunity--well, eye-opening. Thanks, Diane

p.s. Love the attitude. Reminds me of some of what looks like is happening on the Planet Cancer site.

[JanetPink]

It's sad to see that Breast Cancer Awareness can be used in such a negative way...this is about supporting anyone with cancer and the research to fight it!

I am working as a community ambassador with Pantene Beautiful Lengths and Million Inch Chain. Together we are trying to gather 1 million inches of hair and turn them into wigs. We plan on providing these wigs free of charge to women affected by chemo related hair loss. For a lot of women that lose their to cancer treatment, it can be very extremely difficult to deal with. Our ultimate goal is to support these women in their difficult struggle by providing them with the confidence boost they may need.

I'm asking if any women out there could please help out by donating to this very worthy cause. You can either donate your hair, or pledge to donate your hair at a later time. If you would like more information please visit this website.
http://beautifullengths.com/en_US/requirements.jsp

[Sara]

I love the black-and-blue awareness. Someone started to argue with me as I was sharing this idea, but as I went on, and I'm not sure if it was when I got to the teddy bears or the ironic "wifebeaters," they got quiet and it was clear that suddenly they understood.

It was one thing when it was a grassroots thing like the red ribbons were for AIDS once upon a time -- and it was actual ribbon, that you had to actually go and get yourself and twist and pin into a specific shape -- or when it was the peach ribbon that woman created to get attention for the cause, not to sell product, before it all got coopted into some horrible marketing scheme that has very little to do with real, individual human patients.

The badge I suggested is of course only a suggestion, and I think people using their own words and images will always be most powerful. At some point when I'm feeling strong, I'm going to try to round up images of my own cancer from my surgeon's office, and my badge statement will be different because my cancer doesn't have a color or a ribbon I'm aware of (thank goodness). Ultimately, I'd like to see dozens upon dozens of different concepts, not a legion of sameness. Because cancer isn't a demographic. It's a real human problem happening to real humans, one at a time.

[chandelle]

i stumbled on your blog linked from someone else's, and i just wanted to say that this post was a great surprise to me. the whole ribbon thing annoys me in general, because i don't like the idea that somebody can slap a colorful magnet on their car and feel very righteous in their "action" and "awareness" when it is nothing of the sort. (i feel the same way about those ridiculous yellow ribbons.) but it honestly never occurred to me that there might be a greater issue behind it. thank you so much for bringing TRUE awareness to this issue. it has inspired me to learn more about the pink campaign.

[Amorette]

I also think that the new badge is not only effective with the cancer cells, but also with photographs of our various ugly scars and cancer-divots. I know I've got a few.

[jeanne]

Ladies--I think we have a winner here.

So, next October, watch for another "How LOW WIll Komen GO?" contest, a new breast cancer badge (the cancer cell one), and a campaign to turn every pink ribbon product we see into a black-and-blue one!

I will do as much of this as I can before leaving the country--two to three weeks in Japan, I think. Amorette, bento artist extraordinaire, has been invited to join me for part of the time, and my friend Laurie may come along for a week or so as well (at different times).

I'm going to start a blog category about next October, and also one about the Japan trip, so watch for those.

Love you all,

Jeanne

[judi]

I have been reading this site for some months now and cannot believe I have found somebody that believes the same things as me. I am in Australia, and whilst I struggle sometimes to understand some of your terms,eg what is Komen? I have had breast cancer since 1994 and secondaries since 1999. I hate the whole month of October here and thought I was the only person in the world who did so. I have been on Herceptin for 5 years, and have just come off because it has damaged my heart muscle. My onc was 'disappointed' when I had scans last and he discovered there was no progression with the cancer. Therefore I could not sign up to go on Tykerb which at the moment here in Australia is only being prescribed free to patients who qualify with progression in there disease after having Herceptin. I am not keen on going on Tykerb, but in the future I may need it.
Keep up the good work Jeannie
Judy

[jeanne]

Judi--Komen is the foundation that sponsors all the Race(s) for the Cure in cities around the U.S., and also that many of the pink products sold in October benefit. It's a nonprofit that supposedly will find a cure for breast cancer. It's a huge engine in the cause marketing field.

Why do you not want to go on Tykerb? Just curious. I was happy about it because it doesn't damage the heart (I was on Herceptin for almost six years, and didn't have any heart damage, but I worried about it) and also it crosses the blood-brain barrier, so it protects against brain mets, which Herceptin doesn't do, nor do most--if not all--other chemo drugs.

What will you do now that you can't take Herceptin?

Glad you found my blog--you are definitely not alone in hating October!

Jeanne

[judi]

Jeanne
Thanks for you reply. I have been on Herceptin for 5 years, till august 7, when I discovered my heart muscle ejection fraction had dropped to below 50%. They stopped Herceptin immediately.I had mets in my liver and spine, and I know about the blood/brain barrier with Herceptin and am constantly worried about this. But as my scan showed last week it is still good. Over here you have to go on Xeloda (capecitabine) with Tykerb, it is the only way they will prescribe it. I was not keen on going on chemo again, as they don't work even though I know that Xeloda has fewer side effects.Also they describe skin problems, and I already have enough of those.
Tykerb has not been okayed for general use here and at the moment is being paid for by the manufacturer, (if you are signed up by Nov 30). It will come up for review again and may be passed next June. I suppose it is fear of the unknown, and while Herceptin was still working on the cancer, I thought it best to stay on till it stops working. I have been told by 2 oncologists that my heart will recover. Also having been off all treatment since august, I think it will give my body a chance to return to normal. My markers have not gone up and no new growth at all, I am sure the onc was surprised at this, and has always told me very confidentally that it WILL grow back when off treatment. Though I know Herceptin lasts a long while in the system. I believe in alternatives, and am prepared to try just about anything. I have been fighting cancer since 1994, and am not about to give up anytime soon.
Judi

[jeanne]

Judi--thanks for telling me more about your story. I had a six month break from chemo, which was great, although I had to have to radiation during that time.

Now I'm back in treatment, but nothing with side effects that are too terrible, at least so far.

Herceptin was a good drug for me, I had it in combination with various other things for years, as I said.

Good to know that your heart will repair itself.