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'Boobies' Cancer Campaign Gets It Wrong

Message is about breasts instead of people

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 3, 2010 3:46 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Some American schools are banning students from wearing rubber bracelets that read "I (heart) boobies"—a slogan for a breast-cancer awareness campaign. They're afraid of that word, which is silly. "But you know what? I'm offended by the bracelets, too—just for a very different reason," writes Tracy Clark-Flory at Salon. Their message is that saving breasts, not people, is the reason to fight breast cancer.

"Not only are women reduced to their breasts, but men are reduced to their love for breasts—as though they will only pay attention to the cause if presented with a pair of luscious, jiggling tits," writes Clark-Flory, whose mother has been diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. "When it's an incurable case, when the prospects of survival are bleak, you aren't thinking about how much you love 'boobies,' or whatever the diseased body part may be, you're thinking about how much you don't want your loved one to die."

A stack of 'I heart boobies' bracelets are seen in this image from the Keep-A-Breast campaign.
A stack of 'I heart boobies' bracelets are seen in this image from the Keep-A-Breast campaign.   (Keep-A-Breast)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 28 comments
StephSHU
Oct 20, 2010 10:21 AM CDT
This article is very similar to this one on BustedHalo.com: http://www.bustedhalo.com/blogs/i-love-boobies Breast cancer awareness isn’t about saving a body part its about saving a person’s life. I’ve asked breast cancer survivors what they think of these campaigns however and I get mixed emotions. For the most part they are offended that the seriousness of the situation is taken out of the context, but at the same time are just grateful that money is being donated to the cause.
inky
Sep 23, 2010 1:46 PM CDT
I think the only person truly benefiting from all this is the founder of Keep Abreast -- a clothing designer.
deannedowland
Sep 11, 2010 5:09 PM CDT
My mother lost her battle with breast cancer many years ago. She was also a teacher and would have been motified that children are running around with this on their wrists. I found this article while trying to look up the amount of money the retailers make, and the amount of money that breat dancer awareness makes from the sales. Sheeeez, there are so many other ways and places to donate money instead of yet again another fashion statment.

 
breast cancer • breasts • boobs

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