Women and men are treated differently in the American health system. The way in which women and men seek care and handle their illnesses and ailments are different and the way in which doctors treat patients will likely differ based on gender and sex of both the patient and the doctor. (Lecture 7.1) Women have been taking ownership of their bodies and have been educated by other women since the 1970s.

According to the Barbara Ley article, there is a lot of money that is donated to treat cancer and fund the different types of medicines and surgeries, but there is hardly ever money spent on research that analyzes the connection between the environment and the cancer. (Lecture 7.1) There is also no research going towards partial mastectomies and researchers has concluded that this has something to do with women’s perceptions of their bodies and sexual image in the United States and also gender norms. (Lecture 7.1 & Lecture 7.2) According to the Barbara Ley article, the prevalence of breast cancer and the way in which it is treated is due primarily to the fact that it is deemed a women’s health issue. (Ley, Pg. 109) She discusses how the issue is approached through feminism and how the disease should be looked at in a holistic way that looks at all aspects of a woman’s life.

One of the critics of curing breast cancer through a feminist movement is Ehrenreich, who says that all of the pink associated with breast cancer now is just a way to promote traditional feminine values through commercialism. (Ley, Pg. 110-111) She believes that it has turned the disease into an opportunity to sell makeup that hides the effects of cancer and sells promotional items instead of encouraging women to look into the cause of their cancer and how they got it. (Ley, Pg. 111) In a way, she argues the general population do not take the cancer serious. In this way, it changed our cultural perception of this form of cancer into something that can easily be overcome, since women have a high chance of beating it. In our society, cancer is viewed as a malicious and murderous thing that preys on innocent victims in our society and kills them. Whereas, with the tie to feminism and women, breast cancer has been seen as this light and fluffy form of cancer that is easily overcome. Mostly because of our culture’s perception of women being weak and passive, they have begun to associate this disease in the same way.

The marketing strategies being used by companies to get money for donations to the breast cancer campaigns are actually scheming people by using the very marketable pink ribbon to sell their products, while only donating a very small percentage of their profits to the campaign toward breast cancer research and treatments. (Ley, Pg. 118) They have termed this phenomenon as ‘pinkwashing’ which refers to the act of businesses and people alike to appear as though they support and advocate for women. (Ley, Pg. 119) In a way, I would perceive this as a benefit, because visibility from the campaigns have educated a lot of women on the warning signs for the cancer and have also given women the ability to talk freely and comfortably about the disease, whereas, it didn’t use to be something that women could talk about. Although, it has put women in a box and has changed the perception and seriousness of this particular cancer, it has offered an opportunity for women to seek care from specialists who have been researching the disease thanks to the visibility from the campaigns.

Sources Cited:

Lecture 7.1

Lecture 7.2

PDF: 7.1. Ley, Barbara. Chapter 5 – “The Cultural Politics of Sisterhood”. In From Pink to Green