The Changing Language of Breast Cancer
Over the past four or five years some new players have been showing up in the breast cancer awareness universe. Where Susan G. Komen for the Cure had been the single, strongest voice for so long, now Save the Ta-Tas and Feel Your Boobies stickers and t-shirts are showing up more and more frequently. These newer organizations are using the ubiquitous pink ribbon but they are pairing it with calls to action that are distinctly different from the more traditional breast cancer awareness messages that we are used to.
And now comes this video from Yoplait, a long time sponsor of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
To me, all of this signals a generational shift in the conversation. Ownership is transferring to younger women and so the voice and attitude are changing to be culturally relevant to them. A natural process to be sure, but I am interested in what this transformation does to the perception of the issue. Is the more conservative language that we are used to more appropriate for such a serious issue? Will the more familiar, colloquial language of the newer organizations create too much of a lighthearted feel? Is it empowering or does it trivialize. My hunch is that it is a positive development but since I don’t have the body parts in question, I would love to hear from those who do.
Cultural norms are always in flux -- every generation thinks the one in front of them will bring about the end of civilization and the one behind them is hopelessly out-of-step. Changing norms naturally bring about changes in how we express our life experiences. However, when your job is to communicate a specific idea it is vital to think through the ramifications of language changes before simply allowing cultural forces to change it for you.
Update 10/13/09 -- Related article: Pink ribbon overkill: Are companies exploiting breast cancer campaigns?
Some other things to explore:
Two social media efforts -
From Feel Your Boobies -- Create a boobicon, remind a friend
From Pink For October the Blogger Boobie-Thon (Week long money-raising event, in eighth year)
Other breast cancer related organizations -
National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Breast Cancer Network of Strength (Formerly Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization)
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Written by: Bruce Kaechele
Email the author:
brucek@fathom.net
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I love it! Targeting a younger generation helps build awareness of prevention instead of just finding a cure.
Not sure how I feel about this – I have never had breast cancer. If I had, I might find this uplifting, even energizing. It has a certain ring of support to it – that “all in this together” fuzzy feeling. But having the distanced perspective that I do, I wonder if it does try to lighten this up too much. We’re talking about cancer, right?
What a powerful message to younger women. My sister is a breast cancer survivor. She was in her mid 50′s when she found a small lump and we are all so happy that she found it, had it treated and is now on the survivor side of the equation. Many are not as fortunate as my sister (or her family) and don’t find it in time! Awareness is not the cure, but without it, the results are devastating.
I would say 70% of me says, “any awareness is good awareness.” When I watched the video it actually made me realize just how much I don’t take this seriously – yes, it’s a casual approach but we all know the seriousness so I feel like, for once, here is a campaign that doesn’t jam me with statistics or make me feel bad that other women have cancer. I already feel bad on my own. It treats it like breast cancer prevention should be a part of our daily life. Enough said.
BTW – what about the other cancers out there that don’t get enough exposure or funding for research? Breast cancer gets a lot of PR.
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