The sexualization of breast cancer is yet another sick cancer industry marketing ploy

Saturday, June 08, 2013 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: breast cancer, sexualization, abuse of women

(NaturalNews) There is nothing sexy about a woman with breast cancer having to have one or both of her breasts surgically removed as part of a humiliating mastectomy, or having to undergo toxic chemotherapy and radiation treatments that leave her bald and severely immuno-compromised, not to mention potentially even dead. But this is the message being sent by the cancer industry these days with its numerous sexualization of breast cancer campaigns, which crudely reference breasts using all sorts of erotic terms and off-color imagery.

Bumper stickers, coffee mugs, T-shirts, and even tattoos designed for breast cancer awareness month often say things like "Save the ta-tas," or "Save 2nd Base," both of which are sexually charged, and highly inappropriate, references to women's breasts. Other childish and unbecoming campaigns include "Feel Your Boobies" and the American Cancer Society (ACS)'s latest "It's Okay to Look at Our Chests" initiative, both of which degrade women for the apparent purpose of eliciting a shock-driven awareness factor.

"'Help The Hooters,' 'Save The Jugs,' 'Don't Let Cancer Steal Second Base,' 'Cop a Feel,' 'Save The Ta-tas,' 'Save The Boobies,' 'Save The Headlights;' these are just some of the slogans which have been used to promote breast cancer awareness and fundraising around the world," wrote Melinda Tankard Reist in the Australian paper Crikey back in 2010. Reist added that such campaigns focus primarily on women's breasts as an object of sexual desirability rather than as a subject of women's health and well-being.

Porn websites, seedy magazines now using topless women to promote breast cancer

This is the same sentiment held by "Maggie" over at NewsFixNow.com, who more recently pointed out that some online pornography websites are now jumping on the breast cancer awareness bandwagon with their own outlandish "Save the Boobs" and other such campaigns. This undignified approach to breast cancer awareness actually shames women -- but since it generates millions of dollars in sleazy merchandise and service-based profits, it is unlikely to stop anytime soon.

"I don't see the porn site to be much different from the 'Feel your boobies' T-shirts," said Gayle Sulik, author of the book "Pink Ribbon Blues," to USA Today. Sulik is disgusted with the fact that many magazines and advertising campaigns for breast cancer have actually now resorted to using topless young women to supposedly promote awareness about the disease. "It sexual objectifies women, trivializes breast cancer ... and uses the objectified woman as window dressing for the profit-making machine."

The group Breast Cancer Action (BCA), which unlike Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the American Cancer Society, and various other cancer groups is actually trying to promote legitimate breast cancer prevention methods, and is likewise sick of the endless profiteering at the expense of women's dignity. BCA is trying to raise awareness about the known causes of breast cancer, which includes environmental toxins, as well as inform women about the potential dangers of screenings -- and BCA does not have to sexualize women's breasts to seek these practical outcomes.

"The implicit message in these campaigns is that it is breasts that are sexy; sexy is what is important; and we should care about breast cancer because it takes those lovely, sexy breasts out of the world," says Karuna Jagger, Executive Director of BCA, about the cancer industry's filthy marketing tactics. "Every October, the stunts just get more bizarre and further removed from what's needed for this epidemic."

Sources for this article include:

http://www.usatoday.com