The Pink Ribbon Isn’t So Pink Now

Sophia Compton

Kathryn Rhine

ANTH 461

December 17th, 2015

The Pink Ribbon Isn’t So Pink Now

Breast cancer has always been something that I know should be a concern of mine because of the fact that it runs on both my mother and fathers side of the family, but I never seemed to understand the big deal about it, since no one else in other families were openly worrying about it either. After choosing breast cancer as the topic for my ethnographies, and after I spoke with patients, doctors and conducting my own research, I quickly began to understand the importance of breast cancer and its treatments, I often found myself wondering why I never took the time to sit down and learn about it. As I got further and further into my research, some things started to unravel as to potential reasons why I never took this illness seriously enough, and it is because society does not take this illness seriously enough. People are truly suffering from this illness both before, during, and after their treatment is over. There were a few things that really seemed to stick out to me while I was researching this topic and it is that breast cancer, the treatment process, and its importance are being downplayed by medical field and society as a whole.

Women and men are suffering everyday from breast cancer. In the medical field, some doctors themselves are falling victim to downplaying the importance of this illness. Women from Porroche-Escudero’s writing called The 'Invisible Scars' Of Breast Cancer Treatments, inform us that doctors seem to be forgetting the importance of even as the doctors say, “the little things”, such as the axillary lymph node dissection. Women were reporting pains from this dissection, and ending up with lymphedema. They claim that the consequences of these types of surgeries, “are long lasting and debilitating, and can diminish the quality of life in terms of emotional, material and physical well-being.” These types of pains will get in the way of every day activities such as brushing their hair, holding hands with someone, etc. Women also felt like they were not informed enough about the risks and the benefits of treatment options. When someone does not know the risks of something like a mastectomy, then they will not know what or how to prepare for it. Many women report having poorer body images, in Johansen’s, Symbols And Meanings In Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns, “the disease’s primary aspect is in some cases seen as a loss of femininity”. A woman from Regehr’s Pink Ribbon Pin-Ups, claimed that she did not want to participate in the photo shoot without her wig because she “feared that the experience would make her feel ‘sick’ and like a victim on display”. In Jain’s Cancer Butch, she states that there is a “widespread dismissal of women's complaints in medical care… which has led to breast cancer misdiagnosis being one of the most common causes of action in medical malpractice suits.” If women and men were briefed about the potential risks both psychologically and physically, then maybe those with breast cancer would be able to cope better or at least be able to have a plan to help them get through it.

Everyone knows the gist of what breast cancer is and the types of treatments that come with it. We know this because of what is called the “pink culture”. Although, Porroche-Escudero in The 'Invisible Scars' Of Breast Cancer Treatments, states that most have been “rethinking the politics of the ‘pink culture’, which has had a revolutionary impact on breast cancer activism.” Women described in this journal, seem to have a generally felling that illness has now become this “popular idea that a breast cancer survivorship is a wonderful journey through ‘cancerland’.” Clearly nothing is wonderful about cancer yet through the media, our society seems to have a sense of belittling breast cancer giving it this misconception as if having this cancer is a positive thing. For instance, in Cancer Butch, she explains that there are classes that promote women to use cosmetics to make them look good throughout their treatment.  She talks about a car dealership having a pink event, where all the money raised from people coming and buying cars goes towards breast cancer research. She states that the “advertising of the event made it seem as if a cure were just down the road although survival rates have barely increased in the last century.” In Symbols and Meanings in Breast Cancer Awareness, they claim that it is often unclear the amount of money that really goes toward the cause. Jain says that this pink marketing makes breast cancer into a stereotype. Companies will use breast cancer as a means of making themselves look better and to help increase their sales and profits. Society also plays a role in the sufferer’s body image because as Jain said in her writings, that the breast cancer says that one’s suffering should be kept private.