Stephanie from Humanities Researcher has a must-read article on the multilaterally dubious pinkness of the breast cancer awareness campaign in today's Sunday Age.
I just saw pink Campbell Soup cans in the grocery the other day. I am all for breast cancer awareness, and finding a cure - of course - but really? SOUP? I think pink Oreo filing MUST be next.
that article is terrific - sums up exactly my uneasiness with the whole thing. i would rather - and do - just donate straight to a cause, rather than shopping and having a portion be contributed. What a quagmire, honestly, though. because maybe there are people who wouldn't donate otherwise...or pay attention....or...or...or...
Great article, thanks for the link - I wish it was in the weekly paper, more people would read it. I have bought pink Moccona coffee recently. Because I wanted that particular blend, not because I wanted to support breast cancer research. The whole exercise is dangerously close to saturation point. Also not everyone is a 'girl', nor do they stay home with their friends, do they. Tsk, so exclusive.
Thanks for putting up the link, Pav. The worst thing I've seen, I think, is the promotion that says bring in a 'pre-loved' bra; and the shop will donate a dollar to the cause and deliver your old bra to the salvation army. How abject is that?
Or, the pink ribbons festooned over the supermarket entrance, with a white halo suspended amongst them. Shudder.
Babelbabe is right that the whole thing is uneasy-making. No one wants to be seen as against breast-cancer awareness. But I say, if they want us to be consumers, then let's at least be discriminating ones...
Eeek, that promotion is appalling, isn't it. It's vaguely illegal to resell underwear anyhow.
I had a very peculiar, though moving moment with a parent from our school who later died from breast cancer - she came over to talk to me and sort bras together while working in the local opshop for the school (which also recycled underpants, eccchhh). Julie was a pretty amazing person though - I have never forgotten her asking me all about my son while we worked. Bloody pinko paper today too. They must have known they were going to do that surely!!
That was a brilliant article, and I thought it tread the line very well - not being against breast cancer awareness, but wanting it to be achieved with a little more dignity and a little less blatant consumerism. I have to say I'm a bit cynical about the whole explosion of pink thing, myself. When it's spawning new brands of Tim Tams (surely raising sales into the bargain) and making people feel warm and fuzzy about buying bottled water, it feels too much like clever marketing. But yes, it's hard to say WHY you feel uneasy about it. Stephanie articulated it brilliantly.
6 comments:
I just saw pink Campbell Soup cans in the grocery the other day. I am all for breast cancer awareness, and finding a cure - of course - but really? SOUP? I think pink Oreo filing MUST be next.
that article is terrific - sums up exactly my uneasiness with the whole thing. i would rather - and do - just donate straight to a cause, rather than shopping and having a portion be contributed. What a quagmire, honestly, though. because maybe there are people who wouldn't donate otherwise...or pay attention....or...or...or...
Great article, thanks for the link - I wish it was in the weekly paper, more people would read it.
I have bought pink Moccona coffee recently. Because I wanted that particular blend, not because I wanted to support breast cancer research. The whole exercise is dangerously close to saturation point.
Also not everyone is a 'girl', nor do they stay home with their friends, do they. Tsk, so exclusive.
Thanks for putting up the link, Pav. The worst thing I've seen, I think, is the promotion that says bring in a 'pre-loved' bra; and the shop will donate a dollar to the cause and deliver your old bra to the salvation army. How abject is that?
Or, the pink ribbons festooned over the supermarket entrance, with a white halo suspended amongst them. Shudder.
Babelbabe is right that the whole thing is uneasy-making. No one wants to be seen as against breast-cancer awareness. But I say, if they want us to be consumers, then let's at least be discriminating ones...
Eeek, that promotion is appalling, isn't it. It's vaguely illegal to resell underwear anyhow.
I had a very peculiar, though moving moment with a parent from our school who later died from breast cancer - she came over to talk to me and sort bras together while working in the local opshop for the school (which also recycled underpants, eccchhh). Julie was a pretty amazing person though - I have never forgotten her asking me all about my son while we worked.
Bloody pinko paper today too. They must have known they were going to do that surely!!
That was a brilliant article, and I thought it tread the line very well - not being against breast cancer awareness, but wanting it to be achieved with a little more dignity and a little less blatant consumerism. I have to say I'm a bit cynical about the whole explosion of pink thing, myself. When it's spawning new brands of Tim Tams (surely raising sales into the bargain) and making people feel warm and fuzzy about buying bottled water, it feels too much like clever marketing. But yes, it's hard to say WHY you feel uneasy about it. Stephanie articulated it brilliantly.
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