The Aquinas College Women's Studies Center hosted a presentation by GVSU Professor Julia Mason titled More Than a Cure: Examining Breast Health, Cause Related Advertising and the Environment. She provided an interesting critique of the proliferation of the use of pink ribbons and how it actually can distract the public from really thinking about what causes breast cancer.
Professor Mason began by talking about some of the basic realities in regards to breast cancer. About 2 million women in US are living with breast cancer and in 2006, breast cancer accounted for 1 out of 3 cancer diagnosis in women. Men can also develop breast cancer but that accounts for only about 1% of all people diagnosed with the disease. She also touched on the fact that there are cultural and social factors in the public understanding of breast cancer. Western medical traditions are rooted in male dominated ideology, so our understanding of breast cancer has historically been distorted.
The growth of consciousness-raising led some women to produce the resource Our Bodies, Our Selves. Women became their own health advocates, by talking with each other about their bodies and their sexuality. During the 1970s, breast cancer activists didn't have a focused political agenda according to Professor Mason, but they did change the conversation about breast cancer. She mentions that environmental research pioneer Rachel Carson had breast cancer, but didn't want to address it for fear that her research would be discredited. Mastectomies often happened without consultation between doctors and their female patients.
During the 1990s breast cancer activism finally became politicized and went mainstream. October is now breast cancer awareness month, with the pink ribbon as the main symbol. The pink ribbon, according to Professor Mason, has social significance, but the pink ribbon has also evolved with a broader meaning. The Pink ribbon "product" has promoted the notion of "shopping as activism instead of social change." People just buy stuff with a pink ribbon on it and think it is making a difference.
At this point the presenter examined the media's role around representation of breast cancer and what she called "consumer activism." Breast cancer advertising is prolific, with many products displaying the Pink Ribbon on their packaging. Several large corporations are even spending lots of money to associate themselves with the "benign" social message of breast cancer. Professor Mason looked at two ad campaigns in particular; Avon and the Ford Motor Company.
Avon ads have raised $450 million for "breast cancer awareness," but the speaker pointed out that what consumers need to is "look at what is being sold, especially what the environmental impact of the product is." This commercialization of breast cancer puts its emphasis on a cure, but not prevention. "The largest drug companies who make cures also make carcinogenic products, which cause cancer." Professor Mason referred to this phenomenon as Pink-washing, where companies distract the public from thinking about the causes of breast cancer to the feel good detection aspect. Pink-Washing is very similar to Green-washing, where corporations try to present themselves has environmentally friendly.
The Ford Motor Company campaign is called "Ford Cares." They have created "Warriors of the Pink Scarf" with celebrities wearing this pink scarf. The messages are focused on personal health and personal detection. Ford also promotes Race for the Cure, but Professor Mason pointed out that chemicals in combustion may lead to breast cancer. Ford has donated around $87 million, but much of that amount has been on ads promoting the company's role in breast cancer awareness.
What Professor Mason was demonstrating was that there needs to be an emphasis on prevention with breast cancer, the public cannot assume that because a package has a pink ribbon on it that it is for a "good cause," and that people need to scrutinize the corporate roll in this issue. "Pink ribbons might cause us to become complacent and individualistic. We need to move beyond corporate sponsorship of breast cancer." She encouraged people to investigate this issue on their own and suggested the Think Before You Pink campaign as well as support for the Sister Study.
