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I just received a press release on this. If a single guy in this video can answer ANY of the following questions, I will believe that he cares about breast cancer activism and not just the free pass to drool over jugs:
1) What does “awareness” of breast cancer mean, anyway? Awareness of what precisely? What are we not aware of?
2) Why, given that the American Cancer society no longer endorses self-exam as useful for ANY woman is the I ♥ Boobies/Keep-a-Breast Foundation raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote it among young women (for whom it was NEVER recommended)?
3) At what age are most women diagnosed with breast cancer?
4) Precisely where does the money raised by I ♥ Boobies/Keep A-Breast foundation go and how much do they keep as profit?
5) If a your girlfriend or wife were diagnosed with breast cancer and needed a double mastectomy would you still wear an I ♥ Boobies bracelet? Would you ♥ Boobies so much that you’d stop ♥-ing her?
And question 6.) If the guy got testicular cancer, would he be comfortable with any of the females in his family walking around with “I <3 Balls" bracelets?
Let’s make them and see!!!! And how about bracelets raising “awareness” for penile cancer? Heh-heh……
Actually, a really good point on the I <3 balls crudity. I know several 19 y.o. guys who now 'only have one' so may lob this into their court for feedback. (yup, had a family member stricken too)
Amen, Peggy! Nevermind squeezing the boobies. Quit pinching the pennies for breast cancer research! (Especially for women with metastatic breast cancer!)
You bet, Katherine–extra points for cleverness (though the word “pinching” did make me have to fold my arms over my chest).
Oh, Peggy…What does “awareness” of breast cancer mean? In this scenario it means giving people (especially boys) an opportunity to openly degrade women, trivialize their body parts, ogle their breasts, spread misinformation about breast cancer in sound bites, and get good PR for “caring” about women’s “health”. It is a cooptation of women’s empowerment, a disservice to women-kind, and devoid of anything that could contribute to eradicating this disease. It is the epitome of what is wrong with the commercialization of breast cancer.
Gayle, As usual, you summarize the issue perfectly and succinctly. I’m going to post this response on facebook, too, because it deserves to be seen. Gayle is the author of “Pink Ribbon Blues,” an essential read on the truth about pink ribbon culture. ESSENTIAL!
oooh, thx for that hat tip; haven’t read Pink Ribbon Blues yet, sounds right up my alley; just found Gayle’s tools/talking points too! http://gaylesulik.com/?p=6070
I’d like to put you both in an enclosed environment with these guys…….I think we call this a “smack down”?
RIght on, sister!
If we made T-shirts of this photo to go along with those cute I ♥ Boobies bracelet, how many would wear them?
http://www.thescarproject.org/home.html
This is such an interesting idea. No doubt THOSE t-shirts would be banned in public places.
Wow – I thought I was the only one vaguely put off by those ubiuitous “save the tatas” campaigns. Thanks for posting…
I dated a gal that had, had hers removed 10 years prior to meeting her. It sure didnt matter to me that she had none, but it was something she hadnt dealt with up till then, and i did show that it wasnt all about the boobs. can i answer the other questions. nope. All i can say is that it sounds like you would rather slam guys, then try to teach them… so be it, i have thick skin. Ill try to think about breast cancer every time i see a boob though.
Hi Peacemaker, Doesn’t seem like peacemaking is what you have in mind here….Seems, in fact, that you’re willfully misreading the posts here. No one is asking you to think of breast cancer whenever you see a “boob.” If anything, that is what the Boobies people are asking you to do, not me. And I really, really, really, don’t want teenage girls to associate their breasts with cancer rather than their own pleasure because the chances they will get breast cancer at their age is basically nil, and the idea of self-exam for cancer prevention is not only completely ridiculous for someone there age, but no longer recommended for anyone because it does not save lives (look it up). Nor do I want birls to think that the sole purpose of their breasts is to make them attractive to guys, that “guys love boobies” and that’s why they’re important. Those bracelets could very well send the message that if you don’t have good “boobies” (or if you’ve had a mastectomy) you will no longer be loved. They only emphasize the importance of hot breasts to guys, and girls really don’t need that reminder. That’s not male-bashing. That’s looking at the way girls are pushed by the culture to believe their role is to be desireable, but not to understand or value their own desire.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer myself,so I take these campaigns extremely personally, both the message they communicate about CANCER and in terms of the money they raise, where it goes, if they are really actually helping women with the disease.Because this is my actual life that is in play here. My LIFE. And I’m sorry to say that in this case the answer in terms of the Keep A-Breast funding has been no. So when people–men or women (and it just HAPPENED that this video was of young men, I would’ve been equally distraught to see it with young women, maybe more so) believe they are doing something on behalf of a disease which kills some 40,000 women a year and affect many more but in fact are NOT I would think you (and they) would want to know that. For the sake of your girlfriend? Wouldn’t you want to think that whomever is raising money, however it is being raised is doing something that is most important, most productive, most useful in finding less toxic treatments, potential cures, better detection and environmental causes for this epidemic rather than being funneled to something where it does the least good? And if young men care about breast cancer–which i hope they do–why not encourage them to do something meaningful? Why you reflexively see that as man-bashing is interesting and maybe something for you to think more deeply about.
Incidentally, I feel the same way about much of the pink ribbon culture, especially products with pink ribbons whose makers contribute to the disease itself by making pesticides, other pollutants or products that are linked to the development of breast cancer. It’s imperative, given how slapping a pink ribbon on something, gives corporations a huge PR boost that we consumers ask questions about how much money is raised, what it goes towards EXACTLY and the practices of the corporations. Otherwise, we’re not actually doing anything about the disease, just making ourselves and those companies feel good. I encourage you to read Gail Sulik’s book, “Pink Ribbon Blues” if you’re truly interested in the topic.
I want to believe these guys mean well. I just have to believe that. Do I find the “I love boobies” theme a bit offensive, yes. Also, the “Keep A Breast” part doesn’t sit that well with me either since ultimately keeping breasts isn’t the top priority, it’s staying alive. This organization is targeting young people and they say it’s working, so I choose not to dispute that. Finally, I don’t care what attention grabbers are used. If using words like boobies or truckloads of pink stuff works, I don’t care. I just want the dollars raised fairly distributed so research gets its fair share. I don’t know if this organization is involved at all with fundraising for research. If not, that’s where my problem lies.
Nancy, It’s not the crudity of the bracelets I object to per se (though I do take issue with it) it’s that they do the opposite of what they purport. “Awareness” is a meaningless term. Awareness of what? That women get breast cancer? Are we not aware of that? What does that “awareness” mean if the people wearing the bracelets are completely unaware of where the funding goes or how much of the profit goes to breast cancer research or what sort of research it goes to? Is that irrelevant as long as they wear the bracelets and say when asked that the bracelets are “for breast cancer?” What lesson does that teach a young person about what activism means?
As someone who went through treatment at an unusually young age and lives with the threat of future disease, what “awareness” means to me is a pink consumer’s responsibility to demand an accounting for every cent corporations raise on behalf of breast cancer research. I want to know EXACTLY how much of the profit from an item I buy goes to breast cancer research, what sort of research it supports and why. Because I actually want and NEEED useful, meaningful research about teh disease–that means safer diagnostic tools, safer more targeted treatments, possible cures and better understanding of contributing factors to it including environmental factors. The I heart boobies bracelets don’t do a single one of those things, though they do collect hundreds of thousands of dollars to spread misinformation (that young women should be doing self-exam) and maybe make people go, “gee, breast cancer is bad and we should do something about it.” And what do they do? Wear a bracelet. And then they think they’ve contributed. This is EXTREMELY frustrating to people like me, whose LIVES are actually at stake. Hundreds of thousands of dollars going to something useless? Not so much heart-ing in that.
Young people who care about breast cancer could do a lot of things–they could organize childcare for young women going through treatment who have small children. They could bring meals to families of women with cancer. They could hold fundraisers for families afflicted whose mother can no longer work and who are in financial need. They could volunteer in cancer resource centers. That would actually take effort and time but would e so meaningful to women with cancer and, I imagine, to themselves. The idea that you are doing something simply by wearing a provocative bracelet is, frankly, not really a great lesson to teach young people. It’s not activism, it’s not involvement, it’s not empathy or character-building. Even if they could articulate what the money was going for–and if that money was going towards somethign actually useful–I would feel better about it, but in this case none of that is true. If the point, as you say, is that the money is not well or fairly distributed, why do you want your kid supporting that cause by wearing a bracelet that is actually siphoning money from something meaningful and into something that is NOT helping women with cancer? And if it’s NOT well and fairly distributed what does it mean if you support it?
Keep A Breast? How about Staying Alive??? Yeesh…
Hello Peggy,
I am sorry to hear about your concern – I hope this comment helps you understand more about The Keep A Breast Foundation’s mission to help eradicate breast cancer by exposing young people to methods of prevention, early detection and support. We are definitely not just a awareness foundation supporting Breast Self Exams – but instead prevention – education – support in many ways – Yes – teaching young people to identify specific threats and warning signs of breast cancer is huge but we also educate young people about the dangers of toxic chemicals in our environment and food supply and their link to breast cancer initiation. I encourage you to visit us on the road, watch our other PSA’s and learn more about all the things KAB has to offer as a youth based breast cancer prevention non-profit.
-If a single guy in this video can answer ANY of the following questions, I will believe that he cares about breast cancer activism and not just the free pass to drool over jugs:
Many of the people in that video featured have had cancer touch them in some way, lost a family member to breast cancer or generally knew someone who battled the disease. Jamie Thomas, Jamie-Lynn of Kandi Coded, Elisa Steamer and Chris Cole all have done products to raise donations for various breast cancer organizations through their art or companies that sponsor them. The purpose of Keep A Breast’s “I Love Boobies!” Campaign is to speak to young people in their own voice about a subject that is often scary and taboo. Our t-shirts and bracelets act as an awareness-raising tool that speaks directly to our target audience in a way that is authentic, inspiring and refreshing. When breast cancer hits a family, all involved are impacted. Pink ribbons might not resonate with some youth as passionately as a foundation that works with artists, athletes, celebrities, and musicians that young people look up to.
-What does “awareness” of breast cancer mean, anyway? Awareness of what precisely? What are we not aware of?
Keep A Breast is passionate about breast cancer awareness in young people. The statistics supporting the need for breast cancer awareness among teens are alarming. With only 5-10% of breast cancer having a hereditary link KAB feels there is a growing need for breast cancer awareness programs to educate young people on the scientific evidence between breast cancer and environmental exposures. Keep A Breast’s awareness campaigns educate young people on how to identify specific threats and warning signs of breast cancer, and inform and educate young people about the dangers of toxic chemicals in our environment and food supply and their link to breast cancer initiation. By educating young people that they can lower their risk and prevent breast cancer we seek to put the focus of breast cancer on prevention.
2) Why, given that the American Cancer society no longer endorses self-exam as useful for ANY woman is the I ♥ Boobies/Keep-a-Breast Foundation raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote it among young women (for whom it was NEVER recommended)?
American Cancer Society still endorses BSE’s for early detection and prevention of breast cancer. http://www.cancer.org/Healthy/FindCancerEarly/CancerScreeningGuidelines/american-cancer-society-guidelines-for-the-early-detection-of-cancer
Keep A Breast educated young people on all sorts of prevention including Breast Self Exams to learn your baseline, and be able to identify specific threats and warning signs of breast cancer. We also inform and educate young people about the dangers of toxic chemicals in our environment and food supply and their link to breast cancer initiation.
I would like to share an excerpt from NPR with Dr. Weiss is one of the leading oncologists in the field of breast cancer and the founder of breastcancer.org, a leading website on the topic of breast cancer as she speaks about why it is so important to educate young people. “The breast is the only organ in the body to actually fully form, and over a 10-year period of time – from ages 8 to 18, and into your 20s – and that is when what you’re eating, drinking, breathing in and using are the actual building blocks. And that’s when you’re laying down the foundation of your future breast health…”
If girls want to lower their chances of breast cancer they need to realize that the products they use in their everyday life effect their health long term.
Weiss goes on to explain early breast development. “For African-American girls, it can start as early as, you know, age 8 -7 or 8. For white girls, it’s around age 10. For Latino girls, it’s like 9 and a half. And then as soon as the breasts are made, they’re ready to respond to these chemicals. And the breast cells remain quite immature and overactive until the first full-term pregnancy – which is the first time in the life of the breast when the breast is forced to actually fully grow up, get its act together, and get a job – breastfeeding.”
3) At what age are most women diagnosed with breast cancer?
Young people are being diagnosed younger and younger; and the numbers continue to grow. Although the incidence of breast cancer in young women is much lower than that of older women, young women’s and men’s breast cancers are generally more aggressive, diagnosed at a later stage, and result in lower survival rates. In fact, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in young women under the age of 40. Being that 90-95% of breast cancer cases are not hereditary teaching young people methods of prevention is extremely important.
4) Precisely where does the money raised by I ♥ Boobies/Keep A-Breast foundation go and how much do they keep as profit?
If you would like to download and review our annual financial reports and 990 you can do so on our site. Only 13% of our funds goes towards the foundation’s overhead. We strive to be socially conscious and completely transparent and will continue to offer any financials or other requests both online and to anyone who asks.
The funds raised from donations go to support Keep A Breast education and awareness programs. These unique programs use art and artistic expression to inform young people about methods of prevention, early detection, coping and support. Through these programs Keep A Breast strives to eradicate breast cancer by inspiring young people to adopt lifestyle choices that have long-term health benefits.
Through this support we were able to have our grassroots Traveling Educational Booth on the road for over 250 days in 2010. Due to the tremendous support we have seen in 2010 we are excited to announce a launch of The Keep A Breast Non Toxic Revolution Program in April of 2011 as well as expanding all of our prevention, education and support programs domestically and internationally. You can learn more about all of our programs here on our programs page.
The Keep A Breast Foundation awards grants to leaders and organizations that are taking a stand to make the world a better, healthier place for future generations through alternative care, environmental effects or cutting edge research. In 2010 over $100,000 dollars was donated to research and environmental programs including: The University of California San Diego, California State University -Fresno, Essentially Pink, Bloom Natural Health, The Rack Pack, Teens Turning Green, Environmental Working Group and a unique Green Janitorial Program for schools. Learn more about our 2010 grant winners on our site.
5) If a your girlfriend or wife were diagnosed with breast cancer and needed a double mastectomy would you still wear an I ♥ Boobies bracelet? Would you ♥ Boobies so much that you’d stop ♥-ing her?
We have an amazing Board of Directors and Advisory Board, many of whom are survivors, that we pass all of our messaging through before we release it to the public. Our board, and people across the globe, including breast cancer survivors whom have been impacted by breast cancer tell us our messaging is refreshing in a sea of pink ribbons as we take a positive approach to breast cancer awareness based on prevention and education. We encourage people to use the bracelets as an opportunity to start a conversation about breast cancer prevention, body image, early detection, and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.
We chose the name Keep A Breast because we wanted a name that was different, understandable and related to breast cancer prevention. Keep A Breast is a double entendre, a phrase with two meanings.
The word abreast, means to stay up to date with the latest news and information. KAB strives to provide the latest news and information to young people about breast cancer prevention. Once you have the knowledge about what can pose a health risk, you will have the power to reduce your risk of breast cancer. For that reason we want you to Keep abreast.
KAB is adamant about encouraging young people to know their personal risk of getting breast cancer and teaching ways to prevent and lower their risk. By better equipping young people to adopt lifestyle choices that have long-term health benefits, can stay healthy and ultimately Keep their Breasts.
I hope my reply has cleared up any misconception you may have about Keep A Breast. If not, I understand. There are thousands of breast cancer related org’s out there, and we always tell people to support the org. that resonates with them the most.
Hi Kimmy,
I appreciate your prompt and thoughtful response, though as someone who was myself diagnosed with breast cancer at an unusually young age, I still have serious qualms about the Keep A-Breast mission. I do apologize, though, if I insinuated that people who participate in your campaign wouldn’t care if their loved ones were affected with breast or any other form of cancer. It’s a terrible thing to contend with, as I know firsthand.
I’m not really sure, though, why you say that talking about breast cancer is taboo. From my perspective, you can’t AVOID talking about or hearing aobut breast cancer awareness these days, especially in October. If NFL players are dressing in pink to support “awareness,” if kitchenaid is making pink mix-masters, if gas stations are festooned with huge pink ribbons, if power tools and dental tools are sold in pink “awareness” colors, if yogurt is slapped with pink ribbons I would hardly call discussion taboo among young people or anyone else. . THere are taboos to be sure: talking about metastatic cancer, for instance. Talking about how some of the companies profiting by “awareness” may be contributing to the disease with their products (can we talk about “pink” vodka? Alcohol consumption is one of the few things known to increase risk to breast cancer, so what is up with that?). Breast Cancer Awareness month itself was originally invented by a company that, at the time, made both agricultural pesticides and chemotherapy. That would be a good thing for people to be “aware” of.
Age is one of the biggest risk factors for breast cancer diagnosis. The rate among women under 40 is 7% according to the ACS and less than 5% according to Susan Love. By age 30, a woman has a 1 in 2,212 chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer. So it’s quite rare. From 30-39 that rises to 1 in 233. Somewhat less rare, and I fall in that group. The disease is indeed more aggressive most times among younger women and I am grateful to have survived. Too many women I know have not been so lucky. However, that said, and while I am a passionate advocate for young women with breast cancer and our unique needs, and a supporter of organizations such as Sharsheret and Young Survivors’ Coalition that serve us, the rate has not gone up. The risk factors for being diagnosed at a young age are pretty specific. What young women need to ask themselves and to know is: Do they have a personal history of non-cancerous breast disease? Do they have a family history of breast cancer (mother, sister)? Do they have a personal history of radiation therapy to the chest before age 40? Do they have or is there suspicion they may have a genetic defect? Other risk factors include obesity (not just slight overweight) and race (African American women contract the disease at younger ages than other women). If the answer to those questions is no, your likelihood of contracting breast cancer under 40, while it exists, is very, very small. Women in their 30s are also most likely to be diagnosed while pregnant, so that is a time to be especially aware.
Nothing wrong with touching your breasts or knowing your breasts. That’s a good thing. But self-exam is just patently unnecessary for young women and risks both pathologizing their breasts and giving them a false sense of security. It’s misinformation. Period.
The American Cancer Society recommends that women in their 20s and 30s have a clinical breast exam every 2-3 years. On their web site they say that self-exam (BSE) plays a SMALL role in finding breast cancer compared with finding a breast lump by chance and they no longer recommend teaching it. THey recommend BSE as soemthing women should do if they want to. That’s pretty faint recommendation. And the 2009 report of the United States Preventive Services Task Force, advised doctors NOT to teach women to examine their own breasts, saying the self-checks led to more imaging procedures and biopsies but did not reduce cancer deaths. I understand that for women self-exam seemed like a way to take responsibility for our health, to feel empowered. Plus they cost nothing. However, in the largest studies ever conducted on BSE, studies that included hundreds of thousands of women, it was found that while women did indeed discover MORE tumors through self-exam (both benign tumors and malignant ones) the death rates for cancer remained unchanged between those who did the BSE and the control group who did not. This was not about inept self-exam either–the women in the study were instructed on technique, then came in for follow-up to ensure they were doing it properly. I really, really, REALLY wish this were not the case for obvious reasons. I refer you to Susan Love’s discussion of self exam.
That said, questions remain, and women should certainly know their breasts (for all kinds of reasons, most of them wonderful!) and report any changes to a doctor or nurse practitioner IMMEDIATELY. There are many different kinds of breast cancer. Some are so aggressive, that by the time you can feel them or detect them on a mammogram it is too late, so “early” detection does no good. Some can be enormous and not do any harm. And some fall in between. The research that needs to be done, beyond understanding WHY we get cancer and what the cure may be, involves detecting cancer in less toxic ways, treating it in less toxic ways, and figuring out what treatment is actually necessary for which forms of cancer.
But being aware of your breasts is one thing. Spending huge amounts of money to educate young women about BSE is another. Just not the priority. Just not the best way to fight this epidemic, even if it is done with love and hope.
As to prevention…That is such a tough and complex issue. There is little know about what will “prevent” breast cancer. We don’t know enough about environmental interactions. There do seem to be links to such things as age at first menstruation, age at the birth of first child, whether one breast feeds. Not having children, having fewer, having them later may put women at risk. Breast cancer used to be called “the nun’s disease” because so many nuns (who had not had children, obviously) contracted it. but what are you going to do? Start an I heart boobies campaign telling girls to get knocked up young and often to prevent cancer? Certainly exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are important, but they are important for nearly every known health reason. And are you emphasizing minimizing drinking? Not sure how that would play with the party demographic. But, please, please, please PLEASE do not ever call “detection” “prevention.” It has taken cancer advocates YEARS to get people to stop saying mammography and self-exam prevent cancer. They do not. At BEST they detect cancer.
I’m not a real economics whiz, but reading the short annual report on your web site I’m not really understanding where the million dollars you raised is actually going. The bulk seeems to be to “awareness and outreach,” but I don’t know what that means. I am putting links to both your report and your tax form here so readers can look and maybe that will be more clear.
Report
Tax form
Kimmy, I appreciate this dialog, because I know your organization has been successful in raising huge amounts of money. But as a woman who was diagnosed young, who lives with a red-level threat of breast cancer at all times and for the rest of what I hope will be a long life, and who worries so much about my 7-year-old daughter and what I may have passed on to her, I want to make sure that money is spent in the best possible fashion, that “awareness” does not become empty rhetoric, that education on breast cancer is on point and that commercial interests stop coopting this deadly and deadly serious disease.
Peggy,
As the widower of a woman who died from breast cancer last year, your response is awesome. Way to nail the crucial points that all of us need to be aware of as we deal with breast cancer as husbands, wives, family, friends, and society.
Peggy,
Thanks for opening up a dialogue with us, I appreciate you being open to hearing our side. The Keep A Breast Foundation was founded over 10 years ago in response to the growing need for breast cancer awareness programs to educate young people. Every once in a while when we see posts like these it’s hard to not feel attacked, they are challenging to respond to and we at KAB always try to be positive, and forthcoming. We love speaking about what we do here and are very open to speaking with anyone about our foundation, programs, and views.
We definitely agree that there is a sea of pink ribbons and pink products a lot of them do not talk about what can be done for breast cancer. Keep A Breast is committed to going green and partnering with companies that are doing good for the planet and not making products that contribute to the disease. We always speak to young kids about the importance of knowing what’s in your food, cleaning and body care products. We are always conscious of the products and companies that we partner with – From paraben free chapstick to plastic and paint free stainless steel waterbottles and working with companies that support healthy living through sports.
When we say “taboo” we are talking about taking something really scary to talk about and making it understandable and relatable to young people. We also have a really great campaign called Imagine If (we have a great PSA filmed the same day as video above) Imagine if… There was no cancer is an interactive campaign that allows people to participate by sharing their feelings on what it would mean to them if… there was no cancer. http://www.youtube.com/keepabreastvideo#p/u/u-all/2/ZJUAUEX8A2U It’s a way to inspire people to imagine a better world, rather to focus on the negative.
We are also a HUGE fan of the Young Survivors’ Coalition. One of the members of our staff is also on their steering committee, and we have worked with them on a bracelet campaign for several years. Although our focuses are different than YSC we also have a great support program called the Treasured Chest program that strives to give women whom are newly diagnosed with breast cancer a unique opportunity to document their body and their feelings at a specific time in their treatment by turning their casted torso into a beautiful piece of art. http://www.keep-a-breast.org/programs/treasuredchest
Although our stances on BSE’s are different than yours we feel that knowing your breasts is incredibly important. Our “Check Your Self” Cards talk about changing your attitude with your breasts, as many young women develop a negative attitude towards them. We (along with many other breast cancer non-profits) disagreed with the United States Preventive Services Task Force’s new advice. You can read our stance here: http://www.keep-a-breast.org/tag/us-preventive-services-task-force
We also agree that there needs to be more research on why we get cancer, detecting cancer in less toxic ways and alternative care. We have developed a granting program that strives to create a movement for positive change, to inspire creative peers to find preventative ways to eradicate breast cancer.
As to prevention…YES – That is such a tough and complex issue. We don’t know enough about environmental interactions, but we hope there is more emphasis on this. We understand that there are so many great foundations out there that are focused on the “cure” after diagnoses, but our focus is on prevention – not with BSE’s but with overall heath, environmental toxins, and by inspiring young people to adopt lifestyle choices that have long-term health benefits. We are not advocating telling girls to get pregnant, but rather to eat healthy, know their body, not use body products that have know carcinogens (even if it has a pink ribbon on it).
As for our annual report please note that it is for 2009, when Keep A Breast was still very small. We did not see a huge surge in popularity till late 2009/2010. Our taxes for 2010 have not been released yet, as we are still in the process of finalizing our books for the 2010 tax season but will have that information up as soon as it is finalized. Due to the tremendous support we have seen in 2010 we are excited to announce a launch of The Keep A Breast Non Toxic Revolution Program in April of 2011 as well as expanding all of our prevention, education and support programs domestically and internationally.
I would love to share with you our new program Non Toxic Revolution that is launching on April 15th. You can flip through our short mini-zine currently http://kabntr.org but if you are interested in viewing our site that is in development off the record, we would welcome your feedback. We worked closely with many great scientists and organizations to make it an engaging, easy to understand program. Because although we might disagree on a few points we absolutely agree on many more – “awareness” does not become empty rhetoric, that education on breast cancer is on point and that commercial interests stop coopting this deadly and deadly serious disease.
Thank you again for opening up this dialogue with Keep A Breast.
Kimmy,
I appreciate your willingness to respond to my critique, I still have significant issues, in a culture that encourages girls to prioritize being desirable over their own desire, with the way the campaign has sexualized breast cancer in the name of playfulness. It just doesn’t fly with me. I do, however, respect your desire to support the fight against breast cancer. I like the idea of educating kids about the importance of living in a less toxic way, though I don’t consider that specific to breast cancer or to women. I am very concerned about the ingredients in cosmetics, which remain unregulated, and the impact of that on young women. That is a fabulous thing for an organization serving young women to focus on. And I’m glad to know that you’re conscious about commercial interests coopting the disease. Many of those interests ARE cosmetics companies and don’t have a lot of motivation for publicizing potential carcinogens in their lipsticks.
What I see publicly, though, is still less reassuring than what you’ve written here, so I hope that your most public message–the one you send to journalists like me (this round started with a press release that led to a video)–becomes more overtly aligned with some of the ideas you’ve articulated here. I remain convinced that while knowing your body is important for all kinds of reasons, and that girls are discouraged from knowing either their bodies or their needs/desires. Girls should be most definitely be encouraged to understand that for both physical and sexual health. Still, i come down on the side that formal self-exam is at worst unnecessary and at best a poor use of funds, even for them. I also would like to see GIRLS loving their breasts, rather than wanting to pay attention because BOYS are loving girls’ breasts.
One more thing: When young people–high school girls or boys, college aged women or men–ask me about what they can do to help eradicate breast cancer I tell them a number of things. Career paths they might consider being at one end (i.e., devoting their lives to the cause). Volunteering at an organization whose ideals they share is another. But in a concrete, right now kind of way, I suggest they volunteer at a local cancer resource center, that they organize childcare for someone going through treatment, or offer to clean their house, or organize meal trains or do something else that would be meaningful to someone struggling with cancer and, quite possibly, transformative to themselves as well. This is especially true for women in under-served communities who may have fewer resources with which to cope while going through treatment. I imagine a number of the young people you come in contact with have had mothers or grandmothers who have been through treatment or died of breast cancer. THat, I think is scary, isolating and hard to talk about. They need friends, support, sometimes counseling to get through a terrible time. I would love to see your organization include that sort of thing with a “what you can do” pamphlet.
I will definitely keep apace (if not abreast) with what you are up to. And look forward to more discussion.
We’re getting ready to launch a campaign that addresses inequalities faced by girls/women in the developing world. But I also have a marketing biz. When I talk about the girls campaign and the attitudes women/girls deal with around the world, the response is usually blank stares or tears. Two extremes. Why? 1/2 of all people are female. Yes, men in many cultures benefit from the status quo and millions of women buy into the lies themselves (eating disorders, etc). When it comes to breast cancer the response from survivors is visceral. This deals not only with survival but with our concept of beauty and being accepted. And these attitudes ruin girl’s lives. My guess is re I ♥ Boobies, the truth falls somewhere in the middle: You have the success of a bracelet being unpredictably large (like all fads). So now there is scrutiny as to where the money goes; a tail wagging the dog situation, perhaps.
That old line: “A teaspoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down” applies. Marketing is about creating desire. So there’s an inherent advantage in my opinion (as a man w/man perceptions) in the breast cancer cause. More men are diagnosed w/prostate cancer than women with breast cancer each year, but considerably more money is spent on breast cancer research. And the media/marketing machine (Komen et al) for breast cancer dwarfs that for prostate cancer. Seen any prostate ribbons lately? Bought any prostate-themed Tic Tacs? Who’d want to, right? The truth is, its easier to market female breasts than male prostates. And when it comes to cancer funding (or any other kind of funding), marketing is key. And marketing plays on our animal instincts. Anyone who has watched 15 minutes of Superbowl commercials can attest that sexism is alive/well.
Net/net. It’s a teachable moment. The cancer ward doesn’t lend itself to cliches or cute comments. We’ve got to fight the good fight and teach young men and women that “Boobies” are body parts with biological functions. Instead of loving boobies (objectification), let’s love the girls/women whose lives are threatened by cancer, educate ourselves about the companies/chemicals that are implicated, and fund the effective organizations that are researching and treating. I appreciate the discussion.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for your thoughts and your work. You’re right about marketing, though breast cancer has not always been an “easy” sell. THat’s pretty new. As to breast vs. prostate cancer, i could write a whole book on that one, but there are better minds than mine who have. I would just say that, although prostate cancer too has struck those very close to me, part of the difference between the two is that many if not most men with prostate cancer will not die of the disease is it is left untreated (while that was not true of the person closest to me who had it and WOULD have died quite young had it not been treated so believe me, I get that men do). In the case of breast cancer, those diagnosed will almost universally die within ten years without treatment. This is not to say in any way that prostate cancer does not deserve our attention. To me over-treatment is the great tragedy of prostate cancer. Men are mutilated and left permanent incontinent and/or impotent (despite viagra etc) from unnecessary treatment. And from NECESSARY treatment. And personally, I am as involved and as passionate regarding that topic as I am about breast cancer. The issue of when and whether men should undergo early screening or prostate cancer is also hugely important.
Also, the cancer that keeps me awake at night, despite my own bout with breast cancer, is ovarian cancer. If only, if ONLY, IF ONLY we had a mode of detection for that cancer that was even as good as mammography (flawed as mammography is). Instead we are stuck wiht a blood test that pops out as many false positives as false negatives, which is unbelievably frustrating.
I would give anything to know less than I do and/or have the luxury to feel less strongly about any of these issues.
So. Hmmm. I am torn on this particular subject. As a female I feel this is wildly inappropriate and further objectifies women. Then again there is a saying “Any publicity is good publicity.” The name Keep a Breast first and foremost puts into my mind that these men are more focused on keeping the breast on women and that it is more important than saving a woman’s life. Then again as my young male roommate said “It is a good play on words.” Keep a Breast = stay informed on the situation. As for the I <3 Boobies bracelet… Again I feel a little degraded by this. But I believe that the they can do nothing but good. What man wants to wear a pink pin or bracelet? As long as the money is going to breast cancer research and awareness, is there really any harm in letting "men be men"?
Well, I guess I’d encourage you to read the whole thread and see how you come out. I’m not so much of the mind that any publicity is good publicity. What concerns me is the idea that people think they’ve done something in support of a cause (this is not specific to these bracelets) when all they have done is hit a “like” button or bought a bracelet or bought a tin of yogurt. I worry about “crisis fatigue.” I worry that if we don’t watch where the money goes to we give that good PR to the companies who turn their products pink, but we don’t direct our funds, effort, or energy towards funding what will actually do good for women suffering from breast cancer. The goal is not really “awareness” or “PR” at this point. People are plenty aware of breast cancer. The goal is to get the funding to where it will do the most good–better detection methods; safer and more targeted treatments; understanding the risk factors and contributing factors to the disease; affordable health care; addressing the needs of underserved women…..There are so many aspects here that are VITAL and must be attended to…..
Peggy,
I completely agree that “liking” something on FB or sporting a bracelet (no matter whose) should not be confused with taking action. I also believe that more money needs to go to research.
But I think we make a mistake if we start insisting there’s only one way to support breast cancer. I’m personally more offended seeing wall-to-wall pink in my local grocery store every October than I am seeing skater culture embrace the cause. Can’t it be a big tent? And is it possible that while boobs reign supreme, part of it could be that death is still too much of an abstraction to the young?
I took a bit of a contrarian view in my own blog last year when I asked if there’s a place for humor in breast cancer advocacy. I still believe there is. But I also want to share an essay from Rainbow Rowell, a wonderful columnist at the Omaha World Herald, who makes a most eloquent argument that breasts don’t need any more awareness. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever read and it really made me think.
http://rainbow.omaha.com/2010/10/13/breast-cancer-awareness-lets-stop-bringing-sexy-back/
Great discussion. I plan to blog about this again soon too.
Jackie Fox
Author, “From Zero to Mastectomy: What I Learned And You Need to Know About Stage 0 Breast Cancer”
I would echo the last post, having had personal experience with breast cancer, I totally agree with Peggy. In the past 20 years the UK have failed to provide an effective program that works for BME women. The goal is not really “awareness” or “PR” at this point. People are plenty aware of breast cancer. The goal is to get the funding to where it will do the most good–better detection methods; safer and more targeted treatments; understanding the risk factors and contributing factors to the disease; affordable health care; addressing the needs of underserved women…..There are so many aspects here that are VITAL and must be attended to…
Hi Peggy,
Thank you so much for writing this. Earlier this year, I wrote something similar about the Feel Your Boobies campaign and also received a prompt and thoughtful response from the founder.
I see this from a couple of points of view. First off, as a woman – I hear the points about this being a way to reach a younger audience. However, I don’t think the guise of marketing makes a valid excuse. It is simply not good for women to perpetuate the obsession and objectification of breasts. It’s not good for anyone and I don’t believe that it will save a single life.
Second, as a person who was also diagnosed young with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy without reconstruction… it is insulting and downright hurtful to equate breasts with beauty. And the sexualization of this brutal and deadly disease is not a good idea.
On the awareness issue — WE ARE ALL AWARE.
What we need are organizations that are raising money for issues that will really have an impact on women’s health. Medical research, perhaps.
No one dies from a primary breast cancer, saving a boobie or not. For some completely unknown reason, cancer that is caught at any stage can progress to stage IV at any time. That’s when it becomes treatable, but not curable.
I know it’s not nearly as cute, as marketable or as easy to put on a little rubber bracelet. However, it’s the reality of the disease and to quote a proverb, if you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem.
Thanks,
Katie
Katie, First of all, may I say that it sucks that you had to go through cancer treatment. I hate to hear anyone respond from a first person perspective not because I don’t HUGELY value that first person perspective but because I would prefer that none of us were ever in that position. I wish it could always be theoretical.
Having said that, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your post. You’ve said so much in such a short space about the way “fun” marketing is hurtful to those of us who have been diagnosed with the disease. When your “boobies” threatened your life and you had to have them cut off because there are yet no better options, the last thing you need is hearing a bunch of people saying how much they “heart” them, how they value and objectify what you no longer have. Again, heart WOMEN, heart our HEALTH encourage us to love our bodies all the time, whatever they look like, and treat them with the love and respect that we deserve……
Peggy, you said:
What concerns me is the idea that people think they’ve done something in support of a cause (this is not specific to these bracelets) when all they have done is hit a “like” button or bought a bracelet or bought a tin of yogurt. I worry about “crisis fatigue.”
I’ve read the whole thread through carefully. I’ve been following and been disgusted by the same corporate trends you’ve been worried about.
My father died of metastasized prostate cancer. His mother had breast cancer detected very late in her life that was never treated.
The Keep A Breast Foundation might not have been a prime choice to go after if your intent was to highlight an ineffective campaign designed to line the pockets of the creators. Some of the responses to your comments are present on their website. If your post moved them to place the information there, then certainly you’ve done a good deed. I don’t know how long it’s all been there.
Before I retired on disability pension from Internal Revenue Service, I served as a Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) coordinator for my office several times. An organization with 13% overhead is quite within the requirements for inclusion in the CFC.
What I’m getting at is: I’m becoming confused about the point. Are you against corporations who truly do line their pockets in exchange for unknown benefit to breast cancer research (and no requirement to disclose it either), or are you against charities who are not lining their pockets but also have an unknown (and unmeasurable) benefit to breast cancer research?
Parents are here to teach their children to avoid titillation and to teach them what we want them to know. We should all be teaching both our sons and daughters about breast cancer – men get breast cancer too.
But have we accidentally moved passed the real enemy? Who is the real enemy as you see it, Peggy?
Well, there are several points to untangle, I suppose.
1) the issue of sexualizing or trivializing breast cancer
2) the issue of spreading misinformation about breast cancer “prevention” or detection
3) the issue of pink corporate marketing and who benefits and where the money goes etc.
In the case of Keep A-Breast I am actually largely concerned with the first two. But the third is something I’ve long had issues with. It’s a huge debate within the activist community (that latter point) as well and lots of well-meaning people disagree on what’s effective, what matters, the “any PR is good PR” issue etc. Apparently, people also disagree on #1 (above) as well, but I stand by my position on that. I have heard from too many young women (high school age) in the wake of my piece on that topic whose mothers are ill or dying and feel deeply pained/embarrassed/silenced/trivialized by the cavalier way that friends talk about and wear the boobies bracelets or the tatas shirts or whatever. I’ve heard from numerous women who have had double mastectomies who say that they feel bad enough about losing their breasts without being publicly reminded that people love the boobies, but apparently don’t care about the woman who used to be attached to them. I have even herad from a mother of a 10-year-oldgirl who was harassed by boys wearing the bracelets outside of a candy store (telling her “do you have boobies?” “Show me your boobies!” “I love boobies!” So right there, issue #1 is worth serious discussion. If people suffering from a disease are hurt by the language used by those trying to help them, isn’t there a problem?
As to issue #2 (misinformation) I’ve written about that extensively on this blog already.
Hope that clarifies.
But yes, I have also, FYI, written in my published work about pink ribbon culture and questioned the accountability and validity of what at least some corporations are doing with their putative support of women’s health…
Thanks hon! That does help me sort this out.
KAB says: “The purpose of Keep A Breast’s “I Love Boobies!” Campaign is to speak to young people in their own voice about a subject that is often scary and taboo.”
“Scary and taboo”? Are you kidding me? Have you SEEN the commercials on television today? It seems to me that a nation that is comfortable with erectile dysfunction ads is not exactly blushing when it comes to talking about “breasts” and “cancer” in the same sentence.
Does it seem odd to you that Lance Armstrong can share his story about having testicular cancer without resorting to words like “balls” or “nuts”?
” We encourage people to use the bracelets as an opportunity to start a conversation about breast cancer prevention, body image, early detection, and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.”
There is no such thing as breast cancer prevention. If you know differently, I will alert the King of Sweden so he can get FedEx that Nobel prize over to you. Early detection is not a cure. A healthy lifestyle should be encouraged of all people, regardless of age or sex.
I just hosted a lunch today for Fran Visco who is the founder and director of the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Her organization–a collection of grassroots groups across the country–has had notable successes in recent years, getting the Defense Department to fund billions of dollars in research and partnering with Genetech on Herceptin testing and development. She also trains advocates to understand the science so they can ask hard questions about how all the money raised for breast cancer is used.
Her next campaign is to set a deadline to eradicate breast cancer: 2020. What will save lives, doctors and researchers agree, is preventing breast cancer from developing in the first place, and preventing metasteses later. Incremental improvements in screening and treatment, and more awareness, aren’t moving the needle. Her group is thinking big and urging us to change the conversation. I was inspired. So, let’s be aware that there is a political dimension to breast cancer, that we need to empower ourselves to understand the science and push for meaningful research, and that pink ribbon products are a way to make ourselves feel good, but that we deserve better. Check out national breast cancer coalition’s website and spread the word about the 2020 deadline!
Peggy, I am so grateful that you have stayed connected to this issue and so interested in Visco’s perspective. Thank you so much for your insight–we do need to understand the science and politics of what’s going on here and that is much of what the commercial culture of breast cancer “awareness” is masking–while simultaneously making people think they’ve done something useful.
Here’s the link to BCC’s 2020 info.
http://www.breastcancerdeadline2020.org/about/
I was 35 years old when i was diagnosed. My son was almost three. I nursed him for 18 months prior to diagnosis.I was in touch with my boobs. I was a vegetarian at the time, ran and worked out daily, and my weight was low. I have no family history of breast cancer, and no know risk factors. As has been pointed out, most people who are diagnosed with breast cancer have no KNOWN risk factors. I was sent home several times by some very smart doctors who said it probably wasn’t cancer because I had no family history. I think those doctors needed some awareness of the realities of being diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a mastectomy, and truly, for me , losing my breast was the least of things. Being aware that I could die and leave behind a young child was a much bigger deal. many of my friends that I was diagnosed with are dead now, many left young children behind. Awareness campaigns make me crazy. Aware of what? What we need are more accurate ways to detect breast cancer, better, more specific, and less toxic treatments, and absolutely real prevention would be fabulous. As of now, we do not know what causes breast cancer, and it is probably many things, as it appears that breast cancer actually comes in many different forms.
Also I must reiterate the importance of the difference between detection and prevention. We have no prevention. FACT. and frankly, early detection does not save lives either. People can and do die who are diagnosed at any stage of disease.
I like what you are saying Kimmy about the issues of our toxic environment. That is an issue I can get behind. We live in a toxic soup. Now we have people that are denying that any of this environmental damage has an impact. let’s have an awareness campaign about that crazy business! More and more toxic chemicals are used, without an awareness of their impact on our health or our environment. many use makeup, ( just one example) that are filled with pthalates that are known to cause cancer. Are young girls and women aware of that? If we were, truly, why would they keep getting made and sold. Once the bodies pile up, then people react, and often that is too late. DDT causes cancer and was banned in the US some years ago, but not before it caused major health damage to many. It is still used in many countries, on crops and products that we in the US consume still. We as a country do not seem to use the precautionary principle, which involves letting the science lead, and not using substances known to cause harm, or or using them before we know what the impact may be, ( e.g. BPA). i think it would be great if you used all these wonderful dollars you are raising to study that issue, and to raise real awareness of that. Awareness of breast cancer ? what does that mean. and no, we should not be scaring the heck out of teens and making them think about their boobs as possible cancer vessels. Should they feel comfortable and “aware” of their bodies? Absolutely.Doing BSE in young girls seems like a bad ides to me, for all the reasons that have been stated by Peggy.
I get that you want a campaign that is catchy and appealing, and brings in the arts community, etc. But trivializing breast cancer and cute campaigns make cancer look like fun, workable, pink , lively. It’s not.I can assure you.
I am not clear where the funds you are raising are going. What is an awareness campaign? HOw does it help?
Groups like Breast Cancer Action in the past have pressured groups like Avon to do more about the cancer causing chemicals in their products, have pushed dairy companies to remove rbgh, have exposed the pink washing of products ( buy a pink mixer for the cause!). These companies benefit by attaching their products to breast cancer while doing nothing for women with breast cancer. It’s cute, it’s fun, it’s breast cancer! All this does nothing to really make a difference to women living with the disease or to those ( all of us) at risk.
I never want to discourage anyone who cares about this issue, and it sounds like you care Kimmy. I hope you can use all of this wonderful energy and the real money you are raising to do something that really makes a difference. You keep mentioning the toxics issue, and that is a big area of need in terms of research and awareness. Pesticide use in our foods is killing many people every year, especially farm workers, and the government keeps insisting it is OK to use things like methyl bromate on strawberries despite our knowing that this chemical is very dangerous. Again, just one small example.
Natalie, thank you so much for weighing in with your wise and thoughtful voice. And also, thanks for YOUR on-going activism on both a grass roots and national level. Knowing you are out there gives me great hope….
[...] The I Love Boobies controversy is heating up again. I wrote about it last year when I heard about schools banning the bracelets. Now a video is making the rounds for the Keep-A-Breast Foundation/I Love Boobies campaign as part of the Zumiez Couch Tour. It generated a fair amount of discussion at Peggy Orenstein’s blog. [...]
Kimmy I hear the earnestness in your responses that your organization is wanting to do good in engaging young people and particularly with respect to REAL prevention, not simply healthy lifestyle choices. However, aside from my issues with the “I<3 Boobies" phrasing, I do have to wonder what happens to all these rubber bracelets when the fad is over? Landfill perhaps? Not exactly a good start if your organization is indeed on a "greening" mission.
Like the previous commenter, I was diagnosed at age 33 and fought very hard to get diagnosed. I had no family history and no known risk factors but I just knew something wasn't right. In this case, I was strong enough to push the medical profession to listen to me, despite their protestations, and in the end I was proven right. But this isn't really about me. It's more about how we're educating our medical professionals. Something's wrong in the medical system, in that young women are still being turned away for the same reasons that I was. Again this comes down to a lack of research in the field, and a medical system that doesn't empower women. This is where I would like to see more advocacy.
Ultimately though the fact that I found my own cancer isn't going to save me. I'm 40 now and am dealing with metastatic breast cancer. Short of a miracle I will die from this disease. The "miracle" for me can only come from more research. And research that understands why women metastasize in the first place, and then how to treat it. The point being Kimmy, that if as a result of your "I <3 Boobies" campaign, some young women happen to find themselves with a breast cancer diagnosis, and then they are unlucky enough to metastasize, there is very little that can be done to save their lives. This is the sad but true reality.
You say there are many other organizations working "for the cure". Really? The largest of those organizations headed by a certain sister used less than 19% of their total resources to fund research in 2010, despite apparently being "for the cure". Indeed metastatic cancer research receives around 2% of all fundraising and breast cancer is a subset. In fact many organizations appear to be simply focussed on awareness and education, and lifestyle prevention. I suspect this is because these are easy missions to fulfill. Educate. Mission Accomplished. And the many opportunities for marketing, sponsorship and branding.
I urge you to listen to the concerns raised in this blog post. What you have seen in this discussion epitomizes all of the issues and problems with the mainstream breast cancer movement. We are no closer to decreasing mortality from this disease than we were decades ago. "Awareness" is getting us nowhere fast. Please become part of the solution. Not the problem. Research is what is going to get us through.
Anna, I am so sorry to hear about what you’re going through and cannot tell you how much I appreciate your comments here. Kimmy, I hope you come back and read these. What I hear is real desire from those of us who have been diagnosed young with cancer to help you use the funds you raise in ways that would be most helpful to us. And we are the constituency you serve.
Those of us who were diagnosed young do have unique concerns. There aren’t a lot of us. It can be extraordinarily isolating–your friends are stunned and unsure of how to respond. Many of us have young children. Some are pregnant when diagnosed (that’s unfortunately a common time for cancer in young women to show up). Others of us have not had children and hoped to and are now not sure whether we should or can. Some have partners, some do not and the loss of a breast (or two) requires a lot of adjustment in terms of our sexuality. I’m not asking that you address all those concerns, but hear the deeper issues we are wrestling with and why something that feels like it trivializes those concerns and misses the mark in its funding direction can feel so painful and make us so angry. We have so much invested in diagnosis, treatment, cure and cause of this disease we NEED to be sure, it is our moral obligation to be sure, it is a matter of our SURVIVAL to be sure funding and message are done right.
The issue of objectifying women’s body parts aside (which, to me, “I [heart] boobies” does in spades): For me, there is an underlying tint of “blame the victim” to the KAB message. It’s unintentional, I’m sure. But by pushing “prevention” to the extent KAB does, and “detection” through BSE — when from a scientific perspective there is so little we know of that can really “prevent” breast cancer — the implication is: “It’s your fault.” Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth. Research, research, research. That’s what we need.
Please watch this video: Faces of Metastatic Breast Cancer.
There are young women and older women with breast csncer. Note the complete absence of any pink ribbon symbolism/stereotypes.
But most of all, each woman is treated with dignity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM_Sz-ZLt5M
Thank you so much for posting Katherine. So often women with metastatic cancer are shunned or ignored or rendered invisible by pink ribbon rhetoric!
[...] The I Love Boobies controversy is heating up again. I wrote about it last year when I heard about schools banning the bracelets. Now a video is making the rounds for the Keep-A-Breast Foundation/I Love Boobies campaign as part of the Zumiez Couch Tour. It generated a fair amount of discussion at Peggy Orenstein’s blog. [...]
Thanks so much for this post. My mother has been (breast) cancer-free since treatment in 2003.
I just finished reading your book “Cinderella Ate My Daughter” was having a stomach-ache thinking about about my daughter growing up, witnessing mean girl stuff with the neighbors, *my jr.high nephew’s Boobies bracelet*, and my high school nephew (his brother) dressing up as a cheerleader with boobs for Halloween.
But back to supporting people with cancer…when my neighbor was very sick, I cleaned her cat boxes every other day and brought over soups and easy to heat up dinners. It seemed to make a bigger impact than a bracelet. why not ask these bracelet-wearing kids to walk dogs, clean cat boxes, rake leaves, shovel, pick up groceries…
That is exactly what I suggest, Mary–that, especially for young people, the best way to become “aware” of breast caner and to make a potentially lifelong impact is to volunteer to help those who are gong through treatment. Another thought is to organize a field trip (school? Girl scouts?) to visit researchers working on aspects of the disease. What if that inspired a young woman to go into research herself? We need more women scientists in general, not just in terms of breast cancer, and what a gift that would be for all of us!
In addition to the comments made here that point to real concerns about sexualizing women for the cause, trivializing the disease, spreading misinformation (i.e., I’m sorry but the consensus is strong that BSE does NOT detect tumors early and is NOT found to reduce deaths), and diverting attention and money from useful information, activities, and research that could make a real difference, the boobies slang and imagery is trendy and popular enough that the money flies in. What is it flying to? According to a story by NBC last October, the foundation has used more money for t-shirts, salaries, travel expenses, and office expenses EACH than it has given to its breast cancer related grants. Sex sells, as usual. But the outcomes are shoddy at best. It’s time to galvanize the power that this organization has amassed and do something that will have an impact on the eradication of this disease without demeaning women as a group.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/health/Do__I_Love_Boobies__Bracelets_Actually_Help__Bay_Area.html
[...] erupted in the blogosphere in early March after Peggy Orenstein posted a set of pointed questions about the awareness tactics of an “I ♥ Boobies” campaign promoted by the Keep A [...]
[...] to outrage when Anna called my attention to the Booby Bracelet Brigade. Anna provided a link to Peggy Orenstein’s take on a video featuring “Captain Booby” and friends on behalf of the I ♥ [...]
I believe they all mean well but I hope they can better formulate campaigns that doesn’t sound a little offensive. I still believe any step towards awareness and eradication of cancer in this world is a step we take to a better world. Kudos to everyone with such vision!
I stumbled upon this while googling for just how much the I <3 boobies campaign had raised. In case anyone looks here I decided to make a post.
Itt: Butthurt people disregarding the fact that millions of teens and young adults wear these, many every single day (like myself), they are featured in numerous music videos, so simply put, they are everywhere. Never have such a young age group carried an item of breast cancer awareness around with them each day. Then you get the bonus of the donations. Because every woman has the money money to go get a mammogram, or skip one of her two jobs or ask for vacation time to try to get in and a free clinic. As if she'll even know what her hours a month or two in advanced are. Why would a single mother risk getting fired when she has such a low risk of getting cancer! And this is why educating mothers in how to check themselves and knowing their risks is still important.
I really appreciate your concern and commitment to breast cancer (sorry part of your post is garbled, I don’t know why it came out that way). Here is the thing, though: if you look back at the posts here you’ll see that there is a real question over what “awareness” means and what good it does in terms of moving forward the work that needs to be done to better understand, treat, prevent, diagnose and eradicate cancer. Ditto where the money raised goes. The issue has been that the main goal of the boobies bracelets was to encourage self-exam which has been discounted as a useful tool because it does not decrease mortality or change out comes in breast cancer. So no matter HOW much money is raised if it’s not used in a way that advances the work against cancer it’s not useful and for women living with the disease is actually a source of despair–millions of dollars that could be used to help us, possibly save our lives, dollars donated presumably by people who really CARE, not well used? I do appreciate that the boobies people are thinking about this and changing their focus to questioning the toxicity of cosmetics that women use. That is potentially a VERY important contribution, though I’m not sure “I Heart Boobies” really communicates that message. But girls using cosmetics that contain dubious ingredients that need not be approved by the FDA and using them during the most vulnerable years of their lives (when they are going through puberty, for instance) ought to be a much bigger issue than it is.
As for mammograms, raising money to support free mammography for low-income women or childcare at clinics is great. Though what happens if they are diagnosed and can’t afford treatment? So it’s a start, but not in itself enough. Also, while there is some debate about this, the real value of mammograms (and I could go into what they do and don’t do which is a whole other complexity) does not truly kick in until a woman is fifty.
But either way, self-exam is not a substitute for mammography nor is it a realistic solution for women who are not able or willing for whatever reason whether financial or otherwise to get a mammogram. So that single mom with two jobs who can’t get the mammogram should NOT be lulled into believing that self-exam is a reasonable alternative or that it will help her catch a cancer at a less deadly stage. I really wish it were, but that is not the case. You can scroll back and look at all the links that have been posted here to see why.
As I said, i really and truly appreciate your concern about this, but in fact given that the information you have is incorrect and incomplete, it only proves the point that the bracelets are mis-educating wearers and supporters. So how do we fix that?
yes<3
Excellent post, as was Rainbow’s at the Omaha newspaper. I knew there was a basis for my discomfort with the pink ribbons and boob-focused “awareness” campaigns. In the end it comes down to Does the end justify the means? In this case, I say no, it doesn’t. The bracelets are just another manifestation of the “click to placate your conscience” culture.
umm my mom had breast cancer! n so did all of my 8 aunts so idk y u all have a prob with wearing the i heart boobies bracelets… ik some guys take advantage of the meaning or saying but what about the fact tht it helps out the susan g komen foundation to help find a cure for breast cancer!!!! honestly i could care less if boys r wearing it for tht inapropriate reason but if u think of it like this …. they paid $4 for tht bracelet and tons of ppl bought those bracelets…. thts a lot of money towards the susan g komen foundation!!!!
*izzy i<3 boobies*
Izzy, it doesn’t help out the Susan G Komen foundation, actually. That’s not whop its it out. The issue is that the money raised by the bracelet has been primarily used to encourage young women to perform self-exams and according to the American Cancer Society that does not save lives. So your $4 would be better spent elsewhere and it is not ANY dollars to Komen. You might also want to check out Komen a little further, or keep an eye out for the documentary Pink Ribbons, Inc. . . I can tell this is a very important issue to you, so I hope you take time to educate yourself for the sake of your mom, your aunts, yourself and all women.