Save the Ta-tas, forget the women
I may have brought this up before, but it bears repeating.
As a breast cancer survivor, "Save the Ta-tas" campaigns are hurtful to me. They tell me that a body part is more important than me, and I'm not the only survivor who feels this way. They imply that the only reason to fight breast cancer is to preserve sexy parts of bodies for the gaze and consumption of others. I am rendered invisible.
Then there's the fact that the Save the Ta-tas corporation donates all of 5% of the proceeds of its merchandise to breast cancer research.
Disclaimer paragraph: The people who put on such campaigns mean well. Their goal is not to hurt the feelings of breast cancer survivors; it's to raise money for cancer awareness. Likewise, my goal in saying this is not to hurt anyone's feelings; I do, however, have the right to state my mind.
Here is a post that does a much better job than I ever could explaining my discomfort with the issue:
http://www.adiosbarbie.com/2011/05/boobies-ta-tas-and-cha-chas-oh-my-the-sexy-fication-of-cancer/
What I would like to see - Save women campaigns. Fight cancer campaigns. Quest for the cause, find the cure, pay for treatment campaigns.
And I'm not opposed to humor. I usually introduce my cancer status by saying, "I am a mutant," which I am because I have the BRCA1 mutation. But that's a tongue in cheek geeky way of aligning myself with superheroes. (So where's my invitation, Professor Xavier?) It's empowering. Saying that the only part of me worth saving are my Ta-tas, especially when my oncologists are suggesting that I have my breasts removed to potentially save my life (not happening in the next few years, at least), is not.
As a breast cancer survivor, "Save the Ta-tas" campaigns are hurtful to me. They tell me that a body part is more important than me, and I'm not the only survivor who feels this way. They imply that the only reason to fight breast cancer is to preserve sexy parts of bodies for the gaze and consumption of others. I am rendered invisible.
Then there's the fact that the Save the Ta-tas corporation donates all of 5% of the proceeds of its merchandise to breast cancer research.
Disclaimer paragraph: The people who put on such campaigns mean well. Their goal is not to hurt the feelings of breast cancer survivors; it's to raise money for cancer awareness. Likewise, my goal in saying this is not to hurt anyone's feelings; I do, however, have the right to state my mind.
Here is a post that does a much better job than I ever could explaining my discomfort with the issue:
http://www.adiosbarbie.com/2011/05/boobies-ta-tas-and-cha-chas-oh-my-the-sexy-fication-of-cancer/
What I would like to see - Save women campaigns. Fight cancer campaigns. Quest for the cause, find the cure, pay for treatment campaigns.
And I'm not opposed to humor. I usually introduce my cancer status by saying, "I am a mutant," which I am because I have the BRCA1 mutation. But that's a tongue in cheek geeky way of aligning myself with superheroes. (So where's my invitation, Professor Xavier?) It's empowering. Saying that the only part of me worth saving are my Ta-tas, especially when my oncologists are suggesting that I have my breasts removed to potentially save my life (not happening in the next few years, at least), is not.