In light of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, I want to put in my two cents. Breast cancer research and charitable works has been able to help women for many years, and I really appreciate the people who have raised money and conducted research for the cause. Even so, there are some forms of campaigning that I find disrespectful and rude to those women who have suffered and those who were lost to breast cancer.
I am not a fan of the bracelets everyone wears that say in bold colorful letters: "Boobies." I understand the proceeds support breast cancer research, but really? Boobies? Has the world really come to that? Apparently, yes, it has. Although the money does go to a good cause, the majority of the consumers are obnoxious teenagers who think it is funny to wear a bracelet that says "Boobies." In addition, there are common bumper stickers and T-shirts that state, "Save the the ta-tas." Isn't that just adorable? Let's just change the name of breasts to make it cute and funny, then broadcast it everywhere to have an excuse to be immature and talk about "boobs." LOL. Hilarious.
As a matter of fact, breast cancer is not funny. Shocker, I know. When I was in third grade, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, as was her mom before her, and her mom before that. Also, I lost my dad's mother to breast cancer. I guarantee you, these women do not find breast cancer funny, nor do I. What surprises me is that I also know the organizations that make these commercial items also understand that breast cancer is no joke, because they have worked with real women who have suffered from the disease. Have we really become so focused on money that we're ready to desensitize people to breast cancer?
My mom informed me that when my grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer, no one talked about what she was going through because it was considered rude to discuss a woman's breasts. Not only has our society made it okay to talk about such things, but we think it's acceptable to refer to them as "ta-tas" or "boobies." It is not called ta-ta cancer. It is called breast cancer, and it kills.
Despite my ranting, I really do appreciate support for breast cancer research. I only think there are other ways to raise money than to deny women the respect they deserve. For example, "pink outs" at football games, community walks and 5K runs bring the community together for the cause. My hope is that advanced campaigns in October will help women learn to detect cancer early, which helps everyone in the long run. Maybe, through these fall campaigns, people will soon realize that cancer is no joke; it is a serious disease that has existed for many generations of women and men. Soon, hopefully, the people conducting breast cancer research will find a cure and solve these problems for the generations to come.