Last week, I talked about the Pumpkin Spice craze that sweeps the nation this time of year. But October isn’t just a month of celebrating orange orbs, it’s also a time to think pink. I was reminded that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month when I pulled up to my favorite fast food establishment on October 1st for a breakfast biscuit and a sweet tea. The wrapper on my straw read: “Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow” and the actual straw was…you guessed it…pink!
Indeed, everywhere you look in the month of October, you’ll see pink–from fried chicken to chewing gum to cosmetics to tomato soup. Even the National Football League goes pink in October, with pink shoes, gloves, and towels.
You’d think this is a great thing, right? Companies going out of their way to support an important cause? After all, according to the National Cancer Institute, “every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and one woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes.” Yet when breast cancer is detected in its early stages, the survival rate is 98%. There are nearly 3 million breast cancer survivors living in the US today; these women are our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends.
Yet, not everyone agrees that going “pink” in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month is a good thing. Breast Cancer Action coined the term “pinkwashing” and launched a Think Before You Pink® campaign. The widely recognized pink ribbon symbol is not regulated by any agency, which means any company can put a pink ribbon on their product. Pinkwashing is when a company or organization claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product, but at the same time produces, manufactures and/or sells products that are linked to the disease.
Have you heard of “pinkwashing”? Do you think the pink products help raise breast cancer awareness or do you find them to be more of a marketing ploy? How do you feel about pink products containing carcinogens? Here’s my take:
If you’re buying pink products, be a conscious consumer. And remember that small grassroots efforts often go much further in support of the cause. Everyone in your office can wear pink in order to bring attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month (we’ll be doing this!). You can also participate in a Race for the Cure in your town or city. If you don’t like running, then a tax deductible donation goes a long way. Instead of “buying pink”, consider giving directly to a breast cancer organization whose work directly addresses the breast cancer epidemic. And, if you want to get creative in the kitchen, you can always follow the lead of Wendy Thomas. She made “Mammo-Grahams” out of chocolate graham crackers and marzipan for her local recipe swap. Her breast cancer awareness cookies garnered nearly 27 thousand “shares” on Facebook!
Just remember that it’s more important to mammogram your breasts than to Instagram them!
Happy Monday,
Mary
