What's Wrong With Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Patients Feel Pink Ribbons Reduce Their Illness into Marketing Ploy

Sep 29, 2009

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which again fills the stores with pink products and pink ribbons. But many people with breast cancer are feeling exploited.

Since 1985 October has been celebrated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, often symbolized by pink ribbons and the color pink. It is interesting to note that the awareness month was started by the drug company AstraZeneca (which manufactures several breast cancer drugs) and the pink ribbon originated from cosmetics giant Estée Lauder.

In October breast cancer fundraising walks are held in many countries, but the most visible part is the amount of pink products in the stores raising money for breast cancer research. This is also the part that angers many people with breast cancer.

"As someone who has been living with breast cancer for several years I get pink ribbon fatigue before October even begins", says Laurie Kingston, author of the book Not Done Yet: Living With Breast Cancer, which is based on her blog Not Just About Cancer.

Common Complaints about Breast Cancer Awareness Month

There are several things about the pink marketing that anger people, often known as "pinkwashing".

Products used in money-making include e.g. fatty sugar-laden desserts (which promote obesity, a known risk factor of breast cancer) and makeup products with known carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals) associated with breast cancer.

For example cosmetics giant Estée Lauder has lobbied against legislation that would require cosmetic manufacturers to report the use of carcinogenic chemicals, while participating in pink ribbon campaigns to raise breast cancer awareness.

"I really resent big corporations making a profit - while donating only a tiny percentage to breast cancer research - on some disposable item that has been made under questionable environmental conditions by workers who are paid less than a living wage", Laurie Kingston says.

Comparison with Other Illnesses

Breast cancer is admittedly very common, but luckily almost 90% of women survive it. Many do not realize that lung cancer kills almost twice as many women as breast cancer - it is less common, but far deadlier. And no, not everyone who gets lung cancer has smoked cigarettes.

Awareness campaigns about other cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and ovarian cancer, only get a fraction of the funding and attention that breast cancer gets. Who even knows when lung cancer awareness month is or the color of the ovarian cancer ribbon? (November and teal, respectively.)

Cardiovascular disease kills about 10 times as many women as breast cancer, and is both well treatable and preventable. That is not to say that breast cancer is not an important issue, but the attention it receives is clearly disproportionate.

What You Can Do

"If someone feels truly moved to do something to end breast cancer, she can make a direct donation to an organization doing good work", Laurie Kingston points out. You might want to avoid The American Cancer Society, though.

Kingston also suggests lobbying governments and universities to undertake research aimed at prevent cancer.

"Pharmaceutical companies have no interest in prevention, so it is much harder to access funding for this purpose", she notes. Currently only about 5% of breast cancer research money goes to cancer prevention studies.

If you want to show support to someone in your life who is fighting breast cancer, ask if you can help her with practical matters, such as household chores or grocery shopping. For most people practical support means a lot more to them than a friend donning a pink ribbon.

More Information

Aronowitz Robert A. Unnatural History: Breast Cancer and American Society. Cambridge University Press 2007.

King Samantha. Pink Ribbons, Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy. University of Minnesota Press 2006.

The copyright of the article What's Wrong With Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Public Healthcare Issues is owned by Maija Haavisto. Permission to republish What's Wrong With Breast Cancer Awareness Month in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Oct 5, 2009 2:05 PM

Guest :

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-Kelly

Oct 7, 2009 3:17 PM

Guest :

I am a breast cancer survivor with mixed feelings. I agree with those that say it takes away from other kinds of cancer which are equally important and deserving of attention and yet the same time I appreciate that so much effort and funds have been raised to research ways to combat this disease - when my turn came, so much positive progress had been made. And people should remember that men are affected - husbands, brothers, sons and significant others share in the fear and the oddessey that is breast cancer treatment. I tend to devote my fundraising energies toward organizations that fight all cancers. And the day I was told I was told I was cancer-free (and hopefully it will stay that way), I put my pink stuff away.