A little bit of prudish discomfort out of the window
At first I didn’t understand what the status colours women friends were posting on facebook meant. Then I found out it was for breast cancer awareness.
I must admit my first reaction was prudish, I wasn’t about to reveal the colour of my bra on fb. I also read some disapproving comments and blog posts that asked how revealing the colour of your bra would help to spread awareness. What was needed, some argued, was real information.
But then I realised I was being a hypocrite. I had access to the “real” information and I know, perfectly well, that I should regularly conduct checks on my appendages. This colour campaign had actually reminded me to carry out a self examination, though I was refusing to put a colour out myself.
If the campaign made me do what I should have done anyway, without having to be reminded, I had no business being prudish about it.
Maybe the campaign should become a yearly affair, so all us women remember to do our checks.
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That’s a great idea, to make the campaign an annual affair, so that we remember, at least at that time!
Best wishes,
Anjali
Read this:
http://toddlerplanet.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/in-the-name-of-awareness/
Do you still feel the same way?
Print Lover,
I do still feel the same way. I acknowledge her point of view and her pain, though I can’t pretend to know what she has gone through.
She says:
“Aren’t we aware by now, people? Don’t we know that we need to understand our own bodies, take notice of changes in one breast but not the other, and call the doctor when we see that something’s changed? Don’t we know that we need to talk to our doctor about thermography or mammograms? Don’t we know?”
The problem is we (or at least many of us) are aware, but need prodding to do something about it.
The blogosphere is exploding with posts for and against the campaign. At least its got people talking about breast cancer.
Later, the author does say she wants to see awareness turn to action (see also her response to comments here http://motherswithcancer.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/in-the-name-of-awareness/#comments) which is what this meme did do.
However, this is the sort of campaign that not everyone is going to agree on. There are cancer survivors supporting it and there are those it has made very angry.