The Exploitation of Breast Cancer Patients during “Pinktober”

I remember wearing a wristband in middle school that said, “I heart boobies”, which was handed to me by a giggling middle school boy. I had no idea the negative, sexist, and ignorant cultural message I was buying into.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month occurs every October; it is advertised as a month dedicated to raising money and awareness for current/past breast cancer patients. As of January 2016, according to American Cancer Society on Breast Cancer, over 3.5 million U.S. people had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Surprisingly, breast cancer patients and survivors are the most critical of “Pinktober,” demonstrating that this month is not always productive. Every October serves as a torturous month for people who have or had breast cancer when they only feel used for companies to make more profit.

“I bet you could walk into the supermarket right now and find dozens of items with pink labels and ribbons,” said breast cancer survivor Jodie Berry, 58, a Hospital Social Worker and Childbirth Educator. Berry said companies and organizations selling pink products sometimes keep the profits for themselves without the public understanding. For example, grocery stores will sell pink products such as skin and body care products, candy, and cereal boxes that convince customers they are supporting breast cancer organizations. Unfortunately, many of these proceeds never find their way to the hands of survivors.

Berry suggested supporting local, grassroots organizations that donate 100% of their proceeds directly to affected breast cancer patients as a way to combat this manipulative capital advancement.

Additionally, “Pinktober” has also become another cultural expression of misogyny that prioritizes breasts over their cancer battles. Our culture generates messages that often belittle and invalidate breast cancer patients’ suffering. Some examples often heard every October at breast cancer events are, “I’m here for the boobies,” “save the hooters,” and “I stare because I care.” Do we really believe “Pinktober” makes people battling breast cancer feel supported and taken seriously as if they had any other type of cancer?

I am particularly aware of the impact of these issues because my 27-year-old cousin Airam Batdorf just survived breast cancer. She immediately learned about the invalidating experience of having breast cancer while watching the consumer world turn pink for a month, distracting society from what really matters - the people battling breast cancer. Instead, companies and organizations are focused on the profits from these pink products.

“We need something new. We don’t need more fundraisers without knowing where the money is going,” said Batdorf. “I think we need to advocate for these people, educate them, and actually spread awareness to check their breasts.”  

Batdorf quickly learned the impact of class status on educational resources on how to prevent breast cancer, how to check for it, and how to know the right resources to donate toward research and patients directly. Batdorf used Susan G. Komen as an organization example using some of the money donated unethically. Batdorf noticed the privilege she held as a middle-class individual who could immediately educate herself on how to take care of her body and donate to the best, local grassroots organizations. Breast cancer is often discussed with little regard for the intersection of race and class. Patients who are white, middle class cis women are taken far more seriously in medical spaces in comparison to poor people of color.

Although our culture is distracted from breast cancer battles, some people might argue that despite the negative cultural messaging, the attention we place on breasts still raises awareness for breast cancer. Our culture hyper-sexualizes body parts associated with reproductivity, particularly breasts. Although not all men perpetuate the hyper-sexualization of breasts, the male obsession with female body parts should not motivate saving millions of people. People should be motivated to get involved and raise awareness by breast cancer patients’ intense suffering.

According to the American Cancer Society on Breast Cancer, 1 in 8 U.S. people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, an increase from 1 in 11 in the 1970s.

That is 12.4% of people in the United States. If we continue failing to take breast cancer seriously as a society, education and resources for breast cancer patients will remain limited, despite the fact that this is a growing problem. Berry noticed the lack of education surrounding healthy living for people with this cancer. She was inspired to develop her peer led breast cancer support group called Living Your Best Life After Cancer Treatment. Berry’s peer-led group is a great example of creating support networks with other patients and survivors while combating the cultural barriers patients and survivors face. Although “Pinktober” has become a staple of misogyny and capital advancement for major companies and organizations, Berry portrays the power of responding with productive, grassroots organizing directly helping breast cancer patients.

We need to prioritize breast cancer patients and survivors, not their body parts. We have a responsibility to expose the negative cultural messages and beliefs we are all buying into and promote grassroots organizations with clear motives. Progress will start by calling this month out for what it is: a breast cancer patient’s worst, sexist nightmare.