There are many positive and negative aspects regarding the mainstream breast cancer culture especially with the advancements in various support movements and technology. Until this week’s readings I didn’t realize how many weaknesses are related to breast cancer awareness because the media only shows positive support and achievements within the culture.
Barbara Ley discusses the breast cancer awareness movement as it relates to prevention and environmental causes in her book called “From Pink to Green.” Just like with most movements, having a political support system makes it easier to spread awareness and gain support, so the Breast Cancer Fund decided to write the president for funding research to show a connection between breast cancer and the environment. According to Ley’s research the mainstream breast cancer culture argues women are diagnosed with this cancer due to their life choices and not the lack of opportunities women have to make smart health choices. This culture was partially created by feminists, people argue that the culture has strayed away from the feminist movement. For example, ,many women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are taught how to apply makeup to hide their blemishes instead of embracing them. As a person who saw my grandma encounter cancer three times, I would hate if someone told her she needed to apply makeup, so people could look at her instead of asking her about her road to recovery. Also, after reading this paper, I question if the companies who support breast cancer actually care about supporting the cause or if they’re only concerned with obtaining new clients. For example, Eureka had a promotion going on where they donated one dollar for research purposes every time a vacuum was sold, which equated to them donating less than one percent of their profits. Personally, what’s the point of spending the money to advertise for the promotion if a company isn’t going to be making an impactful donation? Another weakness of the culture is the pink ribbon because while people wear it to show support they don’t realize the true meaning behind the ribbon. For instance, the color pink emphasizes how pink relates only to women and goes against the ideas surrounding the feminist movement. Also, it encourages women to search for signs of cancer and treatment options instead of inspiring people to search for prevention techniques (Ley, 2009). There are still many other weaknesses regarding the breast cancer awareness movement, but these are a few I found the most shocking.
On the other hand, there are many strengths surrounding the mainstream breast cancer culture. For example, some companies have stopped associating the movement with the color pink instead they use black or green. Zero Breast Cancer is an organization that uses green to represent the environmental issues surrounding breast cancer. Another organization that is commonly known for supporting the breast cancer culture is the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This organization has played a major part in helping women feel supported during their procedures and educating women to identify signs of cancer and all the available treatment options. They also helped established four research organizations that are supported by the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act (Ley, 2009). Organizations like this one can really help women overcome cancer by supporting them financially and mentally. They provide a place where survivors can openly discuss their experiences with women who are currently undergoing procedures. I believe organizations are critical to recovery for many people because some people don’t have a good support system at home. After reviewing this paper, I can see various strengths and weaknesses that are associated with the mainstream breast cancer culture, but I believe the strengths outweigh the weaknesses.
Ley, B. L. (2009). From pink to green: Disease prevention and the environmental breast cancer movement. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Hi Sydney!
Thank you for your post and for sharing your personal experience with breast cancer. I often wonder if the breast cancer culture of ultrafemininity adds to this need for makeup or for plastic surgey after something like a mastectomy. We are told as women that our worth lies in our beauty and not other aspects such as our intellence, personality, skills, etc. I agree that it is totally inappropriate to expect women to wear makeup or get plastic surgery to look more feminine after going through cancer treatment but many women feel they NEED it. Not that I agree they do, but they start to feel like an Other when they are different from other women surrounding them. I also wonder how this breast cancer culture differs around the world as expectations for women are different.
Additionally, while I believe that education about breast cancer awareness is important, I don’t think the culture actually does what it needs to do in helping diminish the risk of cancer. As noted in the film, these campaigns often distract from the actual problems and have women being aware and checking themselves doesn’t stop the issue from happening therefore I respectfully disagree that the strengths outweight the weaknesses.
Hi!
Your post was very interesting to read. I enjoyed your take on the positives of the breast cancer movement. I admit, in my blog post, I focused more on the negatives. But you are absolutely correct, it does provide a lot of support for those who do go through breast cancer. The political gains and advantages can be very deceitful and make it seem like there is another angle instead of just supporting those who are diagnosed with breast cancer. Do you think there are a lot of “supporters” who are at the events and raising money for breast cancer for their own image? And I am not sure I agree that the good outweighs the bad. Despite the large number of supporters, there has not been much improvement, and nothing has been done to prevent it. If we do not figure out how to prevent the cancer, the movement will need to continue forever, and money will keep going into research that seems to be able to find a cure.
Hi Sydney!
thank you for sharing your own personal views and opinions about mainstream breast cancer. As I was shocked about all of the negative aspects associated with this as well, I would have never known any of this without watching the film and reading the articles. As Ley talks about in her findings like you said, the mainstream breast cancer culture argues women are diagnosed with the cancer due to their life choices not the lack of opportunities women have to make smart health choices. What are your specific views about this view the mainstream breast cancer culture has? Do you agree or disagree with it and why? I strongly disagree with this viewpoint as I believe women have nothing to do with getting this cancer. Cancer is in your cells, and your life choices will not determine weather or not you get breast cancer. It is not like a woman who eats junk food more than other women will get it. Even though there are factors that cold play into the prevention of this breast cancer, I feel as if truly the woman has no choice if she gets it or not. I agree with your statement being that the media is too strict with if a woman has cancer, showing a video of how to cover up the blemish or insecurity with makeup. Like with your grandma, it always bothered me when one of my moms sisters or moms mom would tell her she should put some makeup on again to feel pretty. Breast cancer is not glamorous and you should not hide up all of he battle scars associated with it. You should embrace it and show who you really are and how strong you are as an individual. Like I mentioned in my blog post as well, many companies say that they advertise for breast cancer research and donations when you really question, now, if they are doing that legitimately for the sake of mainstream breast cancer or if they are just trying to promote their company more to get new clients.
Hi, Sydney,
I really like your posts and you actually made a few interesting points I have not thought about. For example, you mentioned that you cannot accept the idea of breast cancer patients need to apply makeup and the companies who support breast cancer may only care with obtaining new clients. I believe it applied mental pressure for your grandma. All of the scars of mastectomy is a personal thing for every patient and no one should do their commentary about their experiences.
For most people, they aren’t like scientists to dig the depths of breast cancer study. They increased their understanding and basic cognition through the media and their discussion from other people. What makes me sad is that I think everyone should be suspicious of foreign information. Sometimes people should explore sources of information and verify the credibility of sources. Do you think it is a good idea for people to find information of breast cancer on their own? Overall, you did a great job.