Housewife on Breast Cancer and Feminism

[Closed Womb]

I hate her delivery, but in some respects I agree with the message. Breast cancer sucks, but other cancers suck too. Currently breast cancer research in the US is way over funded to the exclusion of other cancers. I say that as the niece of a 25 year breast cancer survivor and a scientist working on breast cancer research. There are also a ton of resources available to women with breast cancer that are not available to other cancer patients. A women with a low income qualifies for Medicaid if she is diagnosed with breast cancer (men with breast cancer do not qualify). All other adults with any other cancer diagnosis have to wait until they get sick enough to be disabled, then qualify for Medicaid based on disability.

In terms of saving lives, "awareness" does very little. The greatest barriers to breast cancer screening are cost, time, and accessibility of mammogram facilities. Very few women skip breast cancer screening because they didn't know. They skip it because they don't have time, insurance, transportation, childcare, etc... Slapping pink shoes on a football player does absolutely nothing to solve that. Breast cancer awareness has become a product, and it sells well. A large part of the marketability of breast cancer stuff is the sexual nature of breasts. There is also an element of paternalistic protection of women (seriously, I can't tell you how many times I've heard "we have to help our women" or something similar). There are many cancers that are far more likely to kill than breast cancer, but they aren't sexy and don't lend themselves to cutesy t-shirts.

I agree (and I like your delivery.)

I know so many breast cancer survivors (thank goodness for that!) But, I also know so many people that have lost their lives to other kinds of cancers. Breast cancer has such a high survivability rate compared to other cancers; I've often wondered why there is still so much "awareness" about something we are so very, very aware of. I know a few cancer sufferers who dread the pink nausea of October; just another reminder about how their affliction never gets national attention or sympathy.

Sometimes when I see the cute "save the boobies" merch, I just really hope that this is about saving lives rather than, "don't let this go so long you have to lose your breasts!" I don't lose sleep over it, but sometimes when I see the bracelets, etc, I wonder if there isn't a little too many misogynistic overtones in this campaign.

But, some of the good things about breast cancer awareness blitz:

- Many places offer free mammograms, helping early detection for the under/uninsured.

- Women are less ashamed of the disease. I worked with women in the early 90's who had survived breast cancer, or had a close relative that did. It was a very taboo topic; the very idea of losing a breast (or two) or, really, having anything wrong with their lady parts was shameful. Now, I rarely hear shame expressed (or even sense the undertones.)

- People and companies really do donate towards research.

As for the campaign emasculating men, what with the who now? That's some vivid imagination right there, to put it kindly.

[Black Aliss]

In terms of saving lives, "awareness" does very little. The greatest barriers to breast cancer screening are cost, time, and accessibility of mammogram facilities. Very few women skip breast cancer screening because they didn't know. They skip it because they don't have time, insurance, transportation, childcare, etc.

This.The pink tsunami has nothing to do with feminism, not all that much to do with giving women better access to cancer care, and everything to do with making big bucks for the Susan G. Komen foundation. I'd have expected Laura to embrace capitalism wholeheartedly. In fact I'm surprised she doesn't have a pink Walther P-22 "Hope Edition" handgun.

[mpheels]

As for the campaign emasculating men, what with the who now? That's some vivid imagination right there, to put it kindly.

The emasculating men thing is real head-scratcher for me. If anything, the pink explosion runs more towards objectifying women.

Several years ago I attended an Komen conference for researchers working on Komen funded projects. This was before the Planned Parenthood shit storm, but Nancy Brinker's politics were an full display. The meeting took place just as the 2008 presidential primaries were winding up. They invited Mike Huckabee to sit on a special health care reform panel. Bonus, we had a surprise keynote speaker - Mitt Romney! The event was free for attendees, we just had to pay for hotel and airfare (attendance was basically required for anyone who received a Komen research grant). It was the most lavish professional event I've ever attended. I'm used to standards of federal funding - budget, budget, budget (enjoy the hotel breakfast, and here's a map for local restaurants for lunch and dinner on your own, better not exceed your per diem of $30). With Komen we had every meal provided, and the food was amazing. To top it off, we had a gala event the last night with an open bar. I wish I could have filmed it so people would know where all that pink washed money goes.

[Closed Womb]

The emasculating men thing is real head-scratcher for me. If anything, the pink explosion runs more towards objectifying women.

Several years ago I attended an Komen conference for researchers working on Komen funded projects. This was before the Planned Parenthood shit storm, but Nancy Brinker's politics were an full display. The meeting took place just as the 2008 presidential primaries were winding up. They invited Mike Huckabee to sit on a special health care reform panel. Bonus, we had a surprise keynote speaker - Mitt Romney! The event was free for attendees, we just had to pay for hotel and airfare (attendance was basically required for anyone who received a Komen research grant). It was the most lavish professional event I've ever attended. I'm used to standards of federal funding - budget, budget, budget (enjoy the hotel breakfast, and here's a map for local restaurants for lunch and dinner on your own, better not exceed your per diem of $30). With Komen we had every meal provided, and the food was amazing. To top it off, we had a gala event the last night with an open bar. I wish I could have filmed it so people would know where all that pink washed money goes.

Thanks for writing this.

I've heard that about SGKF, but don't have any first hand knowledge. Also heard that the CEO makes a pretty hefty salary (a quick search on Charity Navigator shows it at over $400,000), but the organization will not help individual women who are suffering (although, clearly, they collect for research; outreach is another issue that they never claimed to support.) I don't donate to SGKF anymore, but some people take it very personally if I mention it; like I did not want them, or their family members/friends or a random celebrity, to survive breast cancer. Obviously, that is not the case; I am happy for every life that has ever been spared. I just want to donate to organizations that do different things with my (later, their) money. I won't even do races/walks that benefit SGKF anymore.

[shesinsane]

I see breast cancer/everything pink as affirmative action within the cancer community. Until First Lady Betty Ford got breast cancer, it wasn't talked about (couldn't say the word breast in mixed company) or given much attention in research. Ford did a lot to turn breast cancer into something everyone could talk about without embarassment, and brought attention to the lack of funding and treatment.

Four decades later many advancements have been made, and if it seems like breast cancer getting more attention than other cancers, it's because breast cancer had a lot of catching up to do.

ETA: I have a feeling the Lousewife would prefer we return to a simpler time when breasts were not talked about in public, so what if it means more women dying? Monthly self exams can save lives, but they encourage women to touch themselves in places that should be reserved for their husbands/nursing infants only. :roll:

[Guest Anonymous]

The only pink campaign I object to is fast food restaurants. Really, Mcdonald's advertising pink is just a way to lure in more customers.

A lot of products pay fees to plaster pink on their products to lure in buyers. It really is a bunch of marketing. You get a product, like Dannon Yogurt, where they pay $100k for licensing, they put pink on the label, and consumers will buy more than they would otherwise thinking they're doing good, so that Dannon gets far more sales and makes a lot more money than they paid. The organization gets licensing fees, and Dannon makes a lot more money. It's no different than McDonald's or anywhere else doing the same. They all have to pay for the privilege of claiming to support breast cancer which does get people to spend more.

[starfish]

[until First Lady Betty Ford got breast cancer, it wasn't talked about (couldn't say the word breast in mixed company) or given much attention in research. Ford did a lot to turn breast cancer into something everyone could talk about without embarassment, and brought attention to the lack of funding and treatment.

Four decades later many advancements have been made, and if it seems like breast cancer getting more attention than other cancers, it's because breast cancer had a lot of catching up to do.

You know, was just thinking about Betty Ford yesterday. I think she was the last "real" first lady we had. She had problems and her life was no picnic, and she didn't really white-wash any of it. She did so much to de-mystify breast cancer and drug addiction, and that was back in the day when that stuff was taboo. I say that as a Democrat who admires Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, but I've always really thought Betty Ford did a lot for this country.

[starfish]

Really, I think the Lousewife wants women to die stoically of breast cancer and childbirth so that their husbands can re-marry a younger woman and began a second family.

She wants everyone to remember "their place" in life like it was in the 1830s.

I think she's coming from a place where she or he really loathes women.

[fakepigtails73]

While I do share her concerns about the marketing tactics and lawsuit-happy manners of the Komen foundation re: the pink ribbon (and I say this as one with a loved one in remission from breast cancer) I am, all in all, happy that cancer gets attention...

I am, however, in total disagreement with the rest of her post, sp. the anti-feminism and some of the words she used ("faggy"??? really??).

[mockingbird]

I do appreciate that there is less stigma now with breast cancer, but I do still think there are other cancers that have very little funding and research, so they need to "catch up" too (I do think breast cancer has more funding in the US... I don't think that is just a perception but I could be wrong). Basically I think spreading awareness of breast cancer and the increased funding and research has been a good thing but we can't do it to the exclusion of other cancers (and I really hate devoting an entire month to just one type of cancer because I do think that is exclusionary, there are tons of cancers, why not just have a cancer awareness month period?). I don't think we should eliminate continuing to improve breast cancer treatment, but I do think we should ALSO be focusing on finding ANY effective treatment for cancers such as melanoma, which still has a very low survival rate (unless caught early).

And I have to say, even though there is less stigma about breast cancer now, at least in my experience most people aren't comfortable about talking about cancer, period. Unless maybe it is an elderly relative. Because cancer doesn't happen to young people and it scares me so I don't wanna talk about it why did you even say that word :shock: I am not really a fan of awareness in general either because it doesn't do anything tangible like providing more opportunities for free screenings or for research, etc. but I think sometimes, buying a "pink" product or wearing a Livestrong bracelet is a "safe" way for people to feel like they are supporting people with cancer, without really having to think about it or do anything about it. (Not saying that it is always like this, I do think people can spread awareness from a genuine place or want to remember/honor someone, but I also do think in some cases it can get to the level of becoming a trend or just a more empty/shallow/passive action versus actually supporting the cause - and maybe partially because companies are banking on "awareness" as a marketing tool.)

A lot of products pay fees to plaster pink on their products to lure in buyers. It really is a bunch of marketing. You get a product, like Dannon Yogurt, where they pay $100k for licensing, they put pink on the label, and consumers will buy more than they would otherwise thinking they're doing good, so that Dannon gets far more sales and makes a lot more money than they paid. The organization gets licensing fees, and Dannon makes a lot more money. It's no different than McDonald's or anywhere else doing the same. They all have to pay for the privilege of claiming to support breast cancer which does get people to spend more.

Another thing is that with a lot of these campaigns, if you read the fine print there is a cap on the amount they will donate. When it is a huge company sometimes that cap doesn't really end up to be much compared to potential sales.

[CanadianHippie]

This. While it's a rare thing, men do get breast cancer so it's not just a female issue.

Yup, and while survival rates by stage are the same for men and women, lack of awareness for men getting breast cancer means they are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage so they are more likely to die.

[J'ean Skirt]

I hate her delivery, but in some respects I agree with the message. Breast cancer sucks, but other cancers suck too. Currently breast cancer research in the US is way over funded to the exclusion of other cancers. I say that as the niece of a 25 year breast cancer survivor and a scientist working on breast cancer research. There are also a ton of resources available to women with breast cancer that are not available to other cancer patients. A women with a low income qualifies for Medicaid if she is diagnosed with breast cancer (men with breast cancer do not qualify). All other adults with any other cancer diagnosis have to wait until they get sick enough to be disabled, then qualify for Medicaid based on disability.

In terms of saving lives, "awareness" does very little. The greatest barriers to breast cancer screening are cost, time, and accessibility of mammogram facilities. Very few women skip breast cancer screening because they didn't know. They skip it because they don't have time, insurance, transportation, childcare, etc... Slapping pink shoes on a football player does absolutely nothing to solve that. Breast cancer awareness has become a product, and it sells well. A large part of the marketability of breast cancer stuff is the sexual nature of breasts. There is also an element of paternalistic protection of women (seriously, I can't tell you how many times I've heard "we have to help our women" or something similar). There are many cancers that are far more likely to kill than breast cancer, but they aren't sexy and don't lend themselves to cutesy t-shirts.

Thank you!

I deeply hate the pink-washing and think that there are problems. But misandry and faggy? What a load of BS.

[YPestis]

I hate her delivery, but in some respects I agree with the message. Breast cancer sucks, but other cancers suck too. Currently breast cancer research in the US is way over funded to the exclusion of other cancers. I say that as the niece of a 25 year breast cancer survivor and a scientist working on breast cancer research. There are also a ton of resources available to women with breast cancer that are not available to other cancer patients. A women with a low income qualifies for Medicaid if she is diagnosed with breast cancer (men with breast cancer do not qualify). All other adults with any other cancer diagnosis have to wait until they get sick enough to be disabled, then qualify for Medicaid based on disability.

In terms of saving lives, "awareness" does very little. The greatest barriers to breast cancer screening are cost, time, and accessibility of mammogram facilities. Very few women skip breast cancer screening because they didn't know. They skip it because they don't have time, insurance, transportation, childcare, etc... Slapping pink shoes on a football player does absolutely nothing to solve that. Breast cancer awareness has become a product, and it sells well. A large part of the marketability of breast cancer stuff is the sexual nature of breasts. There is also an element of paternalistic protection of women (seriously, I can't tell you how many times I've heard "we have to help our women" or something similar). There are many cancers that are far more likely to kill than breast cancer, but they aren't sexy and don't lend themselves to cutesy t-shirts.

While I can't say whether breast cancer research is overfunded, the focus on breast cancer is not just because it's sexual or marketable.

Breast cancer is the #2 cancer killer of women in this country behind lung cancer, and the #1 cancer among women. We focus on breast cancer because it affects a lot of women and it's a cancer which can be screened for. Pancreatic and ovarian cancers see higher mortality, but they are also statistically rarer with no effective screening protocol in place. Raising awareness on cancers with higher mortality rate does not result in saving more lives if we have neither the means to treat nor the tools to screen. Plus, I can save more lives by screening for common diseases than for the rare ones if I was tending to a general population. I feel there's simply more resources devoted to breast cancer patients because more people are affected by it and there's something the medical establishment can do about it.

You are probably correct that some of this attention is due to the marketability of breast cancer but I don't see any misogyny or paternalistic attitudes in its focus. Medicine used to be very biased for men, and clinical studies used to favor males in its studies. Doctors used to be more likely to dismiss women's complaints as typical women's hysteria, as if women are too emotional to know their own bodies. If anything, I think misogyny and paternalistic attitudes caused women to be excluded from the benefits of medical research. I'm not complaining too much when there's now more focus on women's health.

The fact that organizations take advantage of the issue, and companies try to market it to make more money doesn't negate the widespread affect of the disease. If I had to pick out which cancers to devote my time to for patients, breast cancer would be on my list for every middle aged female.

[Effie]

Nice to know that pink on males is "faggy-looking". Especially since pink was a boys colour up to the 1940's.

I guess that's why "my" kid looked slightly embarrassed, when he told me today that he likes the colour pink... Because of stupid people like those - that's why. I told him it was cool. He dresses a lot in black, so it would be nice to see him wear some colour.

[flojo]

You don't seriously think Movember is marketed on the same level as Pinky-stinky October boobie month do you?

Where I used to live it was - maybe that was a regional thing?

[AddieBelle]

Fuck her. My mom has breast cancer and it is a horrible disease. All I can say is fuck her.

[galaxygirl]

First: Faggy looking?!? You are a pathetic excuse of a human being.

Second: Never occurred to you that those macho NFL linemen have mothers, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, sisters, wives, girlfriends, non-romantic girlfriends, nieces, daughters etc etc? Men care about breast cancer, obviously a hell of a lot more than you do, you waste of space.

[Vex]

While I can't say whether breast cancer research is overfunded, the focus on breast cancer is not just because it's sexual or marketable.

I don't believe you can EVER put too much funding into curing cancer, especially the cancer that kills more women in most western countries than any other, personally, but it's true that breast cancer does get more funding. There's a VERY good reason for that, though:

The other big killer, lung cancer, is usually caused by direct exposure to carcenogens like cigarettes, obviously. Breast cancer has genes linked to it. Scientists can isolate those genes, find them in families, and in time that WILL lead to prevention and even cure. They get the funding because unlike so many other kinds of cancer scientists are so close to being able to prevent or even eliminate it that, and the bigger the research grants the faster they can reach the conclusion.

Imagine a time when the number one cancer in women can be totally eliminated. It will prevent so many more deaths than if they focused on, say, pancreatic cancer, which often has a far bleaker outlook but is much rarer. I'm shocked that if she's going to be outraged, she's not outraged that more 'cancer money' isn't being spent on research into the most common children's cancer, leukemia. It goes to show she doesn't actually give a toss about the people with 'overlooked' cancer, she's just railing against something she sees in her ignorance to be a women's cancer (not knowing or caring men suffer from it too) that is used (in her warped view) as an excuse for female empowerment.

Like others here my mother was stricken with breast cancer, so this really touches a raw nerve in me. On the day of her first bout of radiotherapy, my grandmother - her mother - died in the hospital of cancer, which had gone undiagnosed for years because she was a paranoid schizophrenic who wouldn't go to the doctor. Years after my mother's treatment, I found out she almost declined her final round of radiotherapy and let the cancer beat her. It shocked and scared me that my strong, willful mother almost gave up. Having breast cancer isn't like dancing around to 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' before a night out so you feel all kickass and ready to conquer the world. It's not there so women can go off to makeover parties to try on wigs and get made up - that exists because the women are at their lowest ebb, not reveling in their femininity. My mother didn't have to have a radical mastectomy, but those women who did are not feeling like the pinnacle of feminine empowerment.

Mum was so brave and she is so strong, and for Kelly to try and belittle her illness or her recovery...? It makes me want to literally wish cancer upon her. But I don't. Because she would feel like God's special flower when she survived through pure spite and everyone would be so nice to her, and she doesn't deserve pity or love or compassion.

Just because Kelly doesn't realise November is dedicated to men's health (in particular prostate cancer and mental health), that there are awareness weeks and months for testicular cancer and pancreatic cancer, that there are ribbons for mens' cancers as well as for breast cancer and AIDS, does not mean they don't exist.

The only good thing to come out of Kelly's article, is that I was watching the game between the Texans and the New York Jets and I didn't know why the refs were wearing pink. Now I know.

Sorry this is such a long rant, this is the reason I avoid Kelly - she sends me into tl;dr rant mode.

[Kitty]

I've mentioned this before, but my mother had a cancer scare not.to long ago. It was awful not knowing what was going to happen next. Fortunately those lumps she found were fatty chats that were easily taken care of.and prevented. But there's still a risk that she could develop cancer. My aunt (her sister) had the same.experience.

Pinkwashing did not help our family at all. Neither did attitudes like the Lousewife's.

Edited to add that pinkwashing has another definition: it also refers to certain breast cancer charities endorsing or allowing companies to use their name, logo, etc. Whose products actually cause or contribute to breast cancer. Cause marketing at its worst.

[NjoyingNsanity]

I wonder why it never occurred to her that maybe those football players were wearing pink in support/memory of someone they love maybe a wife, mother, sister, aunt or grandmother who has or had breast cancer.

[ems]

thinkinghousewife.com/wp/2012/10/breast-cancer-and-feminism/

During October, everything in sight is painted pink—the chosen color of feminine “empowerment,†I suppose—and a bevy of worn, weary “survivors†are regularly trotted out as exemplars of womanly courage and fortitude. I have nothing against women with breast cancer, of course; indeed, I wish them well. But do we really require pink newspapers delivered to our doorsteps, and do we really need to see professional football players wearing faggy-looking pink shoes and socks for an entire month, just to show we’re properly concerned for and in righteous solidarity with the afflicted?

And if we’re going to parade the victims around and sing them gushing praises, why the selective, patently exclusionary, celebration? Are people with lung, throat, eye, pancreatic, and testicular cancer not also suffering? Are they not also facing their difficulties with stout determination? Why have these inspiring victims not been their own months to be affirmed, lauded, and praised?

The answer, I suspect, has very little to do with cancer, and very much to do with the misandric calibration of the current era. Just as AIDS became a cause célèbre because it disproportionately afflicted gay men, at a time when the Zeitgeist-shapers wished to banish “heterosexism,†so breast cancer “awareness†has become a means of furthering the “Girls rule, boys drool†vibe of radical feminism, which disdains and aims to “deconstruct†masculinity. There’s nothing at all inherently wrong with women giving other women encouragement, but the fact that macho NFL linemen are now being made to wear pink should tell us something about the aims and objectives of the “Save the Tatas†campaign.

Surely there is a way to honor the sick that doesn’t resort to cheap posturing and politicizing. And surely there are sincere people in the “pink ribbon†movement who only want to see the development of a cure for a disease that affects thousands of families a year. But the hearty Zeitgeist-defier should recognize, and be leery of, massive media-driven, and obviously contrived campaigns to exploit his compassion for nefarious ends

I haaaate to agree with the Stinking Housewife, and I certainly don't agree with the misogyny that is the basic of all her views. That being said, there is some of what she says her that I do agree with.

Mostly :

Surely there is a way to honor the sick that doesn’t resort to cheap posturing and politicizing.

And And if we’re going to parade the victims around and sing them gushing praises, why the selective, patently exclusionary, celebration? Are people with lung, throat, eye, pancreatic, and testicular cancer not also suffering? Are they not also facing their difficulties with stout determination? Why have these inspiring victims not been their own months to be affirmed, lauded, and praised?.

But surely she must have heard that it takes a "real man" (gay or straight) to wear pink. And did she really break out the other f-word there? :doh:

[Vex]

But they DO have months and weeks to honour them. Kelly just isn't aware of them. There are more sufferers of breast cancer than eye cancer, so of course we're going to hear proportionally more about it.

[GolightlyGrrl]

I wonder what Stinking would think of this man:

http://gawker.com/5951399/man-shaves-he ... -his-scalp

[HeckBound]

I'm not fan of Komen, but after finding this cretin on FJ and reading through her blog, I was inspired to make an account just to post about her.

I thought Zsu was the worst. This one makes Zsu look like a regular Camille Paglia. Not to mention, she's an ignorant bitch from hell. I feel sad that people like her raise children.

[mpheels]

But they DO have months and weeks to honour them. Kelly just isn't aware of them. There are more sufferers of breast cancer than eye cancer, so of course we're going to hear proportionally more about it.

Colon cancer kills more people every year than breast cancer, and almost as many women alone. There is an effective screening test for colon cancer. In fact, colon cancer screening with colonoscopy reduces the risk of death from cancer more than mammography. March is colon cancer awareness month, and dark blue is the official colon cancer awareness ribbon. I don't recall seeing any colon cancer merch in March. No cute t-shirts, and no 5K races with 30K+ people. A woman diagnosed with colon cancer has to wait until her illness is disabling before she can get Medicaid, but a woman with breast cancer gets it right away.