Breast Cancer Society: We all have a woman we can’t live without

Wow! Finally…an approach to breast cancer awareness and action that is about the value of women as whole people, and not just a disembodied set of breasts. And no fluffy pink shit merchandise in sight!

Congratulations to Colenso BBDO. You may not realise how ground breaking this approach is, nor how welcome by those of us who’ve been there, done that…and feel totally disenfranchised by the insistence of the pink ribbon merchants to position breast cancer as something frivolous and ‘sexy’ which is completely the opposite of what it is (a serious, life threatening disease which if it doesn’t kill you, the treatments you go through to save your life nearly will!).

Well done.

“and feel totally disenfranchised by the insistence of the pink ribbon merchants to position breast cancer as something frivolous and ‘sexy’ which is completely the opposite of what it is (a serious, life threatening disease which if it doesn’t kill you, the treatments you go through to save your life nearly will!)”.

I don’t think anyone sees pink and then positions the associated cancer in their minds as frivolous or sexy. Have people given you that impression? Was the Breast Cancer Network the one to pick pink in the first place…?

“We all have a woman we can’t live without” – wow, that is just brilliant – very ‘Don Draper’, totally cuts through to everybody! Incredibly simple but powerful stuff!

@gg – Its not just an impression that only I’ve been left with, but a reality lived by millions of women and people around the world.

The pink ribbon was originally devised as a marketing tool by Estee Lauder.

Perhaps you don’t think an august company such as Porn Hub would stoop to reducing women to nothing more than a pair of ‘tits’ in order to stake their territory in breast cancer ‘awareness’ but as its their stock in trade I for one would disagree with you.

Perhaps you’d be interested to learn more? Here are just a few references.

http://pinkribbonblues.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QPZfcYTUaA

http://www.xojane.com/issues/w.....m=facebook

As per above…this is why I really enjoyed the approach from Colenso BBDO and offer them my heartfelt congratulations.

If anyone would like to debate pink ribbon marketing with me, by all means join me on Twitter @rachaellonergan

You’re on the money there Rachael with your “pink” comments. As someone who has been there done that I can tell you that pink is somewhat tiresome and done. Not something I want to associate with. In fact it makes me cringe. Very few survivors get a warm fuzzy feeling with the pink scene. Maybe it’s confronting. Maybe it seems frivilous. Maybe it’s too generic. Whatever it is, it doesn’t resonate with most of us. Would I associate with this message “we all have a woman we can’t live without”? Proudly. Thanks Colenso BBDO for making us seem real and not a satin ribbon…and congratulations. I live in Aus now but, as always, the kiwis are a step ahead.

In support of the BCN – I stood with my mum (two-time survivor of breast cancer) on the ‘field of women’ at the MCG , in pink ponchos and it was an amazingly positive and uplifting experience for both of us. The aerial photo has pride of place on the fridge and Mum drives around with a BCN pink lady sticker on her car like a badge of honour. As for the Colenso BBDO campaign, so confronting that I couldn’t watch it until the end.

@weloveads….that is so awesome. Just like everyone’s BC is different, everyone’s experience is different and I am thrilled for you and your Mum to have found an uplifting experience during/after the experience. I don’t want to sound rude but I think older ladies do embrace the pink better than us “younger” ones. I am a Mum and I too have been through it twice but I just can’t associate with the pink ribbon I but I am all for those who do…nothing wrong with it at all so please don’t take my comments as insulting. I can only speak for me and a few others….and there are many many women affected by it. She’s a survivor…she can identify with whatever she likes. As can you for supporting her. Both of you deserve a medal..or a pink ribbon if you like 🙂

@ Rachael Lonergan.

I acknowledge your right to your opinion regarding the pink ribbon.
I am of, absolutely, the opposite opinion, and I promote the pink ribbon in my everyday life and on my website for this reason. Helena herself is seen wearing the pink ribbon in this (her own) awareness message, and a group of women are dressed in pink later in the video.

I have never seen the symbol as sexy or frivolous or [quote] “fluffy pink shit merchandise” [unquote] in its entire history, I accept it as a symbol pertaining to women, just as I accept the red ribbon or the yellow as representing their particular public awareness of a killer disease that can be, and must be, eradicated by public awareness and support.