Facebook bra color and the problem with awareness
Tell me how this helps. (Image by The Gifted Photographer via Flickr)
I posted earlier today on this ridonculous Facebook meme. As the day wears on I find I’m only more pissed off.
I’m not the only one. When I Googled blogs mentioning “facebook bra colors,” I found 55,638 posts. Most bloggers were bemused. Others were amused. And still others were, like me, supremely irritated.
Telling the world your bra color does not raise awareness of breast cancer. It raises awareness of your bra color.
I’d like to know: what cave dweller isn’t aware of breast cancer? Who in the Facebook-using population isn’t aware of this disease? And what exactly am I supposed to become aware of? Its rates of survival? Current research for a cure? Because talking about my lingerie really boosts my understanding of oncology.
Already, bloggers are tagging this a perfect example of slacktivism, which Foreign Policy describes as “feel-good online activism that has zero political or social impact.”
But you know something? I’m getting the sneaking suspicion that this is all an elaborate hoax. Consider: nobody seems to know the source of this meme. Who originated it? Here’s the e-mail that many FB users received:
Some fun is going on…. just write the color of your bra in your status. Just the color, nothing else. And send this on to ONLY girls, no men …. It will be neat to see if this will spread the wings of cancer awareness. It will be fun to see how long it takes before the men will wonder why all the girls have a color in their status. Ha ha.
Pass it on & be sure to do your breast self-exams!
This whole thing smells like some bizarro mash-up of social activism, chain letters and Girls Gone Wild. Show us your bra and make 10 of our your friends show us, too. Or you’re a friend to cancer.
April Fool’s!
UPDATE: Who started this whole campaign? Click here to find out.
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Had to be started by a guy. Do you know any women who would write this sentence: “It will be neat to see if this will spread the wings of cancer awareness.”?
Spread the wings of cancer awareness. What??? That totally sounds like a guy trying to write like a girl while mentally browsing through a Victoria’s Secret catalog and congratulating himself on his brilliant bra meme-scheme. Or scheme-meme. Whatev.
Pink with Hello Kitty emblems!
Oh wait, this isn’t my facebook page…
Aren’t you glad the people who did this aren’t working on campaigns to raise prostate health awareness?
(runs and hides)
Insipid, Dumb and oh yeah effective.
What’s even worse about this kind of crap is it perversely makes breast cancer a “sexy” issue, which it sure as hell isn’t to anyone affected by this horrible curse.
Before you belittle whats going on on FB…take the time and speak to young ladies 15-40 and ask if they know about the whole Bra Color movement and then ask them what they think of it.
If they can give you a coherent answer then its done it job….Its about awareness.
Breast Cancer can never be made a “sexy” issue, but we can remove the stigma of it being a “horrible curse” and push for prevention.
While you checking your color, give yourself a feel.
Fluorescent Green.
Greg, my friend — you’re pulling my leg, right?
In response to another comment. See in context »I’m sorry, my two Aunts on of who succumbed and the other who is a survivor of Breast Cancer would have and do find this FB thing hysterical.
I think the only one’s who are kidding themselves are those wonderful folks who sit one perch of elitism and look down and think this isn’t and effective way to raise awareness.
Sorta like Marketing Terrorism 101…They got you to right a great article laying out the intention of the campaign and your opinion.
Thank You.
In response to another comment. See in context »So answer me this. Who’s this mysterious “they”? Who came up with this “campaign”?
In response to another comment. See in context »Oh, for Pete’s sake, you’re missing the point. Google “Bra color Facebook status” and you get 236,000 results. That means the viral campaign was completely effective because so many people are writing about it, including you!
I’ve walked in two Avon Walks for Breast Cancer, both in San Francisco, and I can tell you that what was so great about the events was the sense of playfulness by all involved. It’s a serious disease, of course, but you’ve got to inject a little fun if you’re going to (a) motivate thousands of people to raise at least $1800 each and (b) walk the equivalent of a marathon and a half over two days.
So, don’t underestimate the power of a little levity. If only one person made an appointment for a mammogram because of this meme, it was worth it. I just got a mammogram yesterday. Did you?
So in your humble opinion (not that I think your opinion should be humble — I’m only echoing your tag), the point of goading thousands of women to broadcast the color of their bra to everyone in their network is a reminder to sked a mammogram? Maybe I read you wrong but it sounded like you were challenging me to get one; I’m not happy to report I’ve had three, and they completely suck (see this post: http://trueslant.com/lisacullen/2009/11/18/mammograms-suck-still-ill-get-them/ ).
And again, maybe I misunderstand your meaning, but what exactly is fun about breast cancer? Because when my late mom had it, I’m pretty goddamn sure it wasn’t fun.
In response to another comment. See in context »There’s absolutely nothing fun about breast cancer, but that doesn’t mean prevention campaigns have to be a downer. My reference to “fun” was in the campaign tactics for awareness. Sheesh. Lighten up.
In response to another comment. See in context »Nothing fun about breast cancer to be sure- but I don’t think that is what inmyhumbleopinion is saying. I agree with her point. Levity is essential to dealing with these problems. When I was having my cancer adventure, joking about it was a really important element of dealing with it. Otherwise – the terrorists win, if you know what I mean. We went so far as to turn my chemotherapy sessions into a “party’ of sorts with food, coffee, friends hanging out, etc.
In response to another comment. See in context »You’re right that cancer is not fun – but that doesn’t mean you can’t use levity to (a) make the experience easier to deal with and (b) to share the information with others, so long as they know what the real point is. People are frightened of you when you have cancer. They don’t know what to say to you and there is a fear that occurs when someone comes face to face with the disease- literally. Comedy is absolutely essential in order to help others feel its okay to talk about what is happening to you.
That said, I have to tell you that when I went on Facebook yesterday and saw all the color thing, I had no idea whatsoever what it was all about – and really didn’t care all that much. At least now I know what’s going on.
There is nothing fun about having Breast Cancer. My mother had it and pasted many years ago. She was a strong women and I love and respect her. Writing a color on facebook does not by far have anything to do with the pain woman feel from having the disease. It has to do with reminding all young and old what this month stands for and they should get checked. There are a lot of people out there that had no idea. Unless you are faced with it you don’t think about it all the time. Everyone is so busy with day to day events no one remembers about monthly causes. I have 4 kids, a job and a household to take care of. I am not thinking about what this month stands for. When facebook started this I remembered. There are tons of woman out there like me. We are always the last to be taken care of. This was a good reminder.
In response to another comment. See in context »lisa, why do you have to be so sarcastic with your comment about this person being humble? and why do you have to be so mean and use the GD word? you using the GD word is more offensive to me than people posting a color on fb.
In response to another comment. See in context »I challenge you to lighten up and write an article that educates and not denigrates the women that participate in this FB event.
Once again. thank you for writing an article that cuts through all the fun and gets to the point of raising awareness for Breast Cancer.
I think anything that makes people think, is a good thing. Your article included.
Maybe I misunderstand you…
Are they stupid for participating?
Do they belittle a devastating disease?
Are they not via articles like this getting the message out?
Should they (the women participating) just grow up be serious?
I wanna know whats downside of awareness??
You have it, I have it and now thousands if not millions of young women and men have it.
As I see it its a WIN – WIN.
Once more with the “awareness:”
Getting what message out?
What are we aware of today that we weren’t aware of last week?
In response to another comment. See in context »When I received the message in my inbox on FB, it didn’t mention anything about breast cancer awareness… I just found out about that by reading this. So, I received a stupid request (and I thought it was stupid at the time) but I still did it. A few hours later, I deleted it. I really thought it was ridiculous! I guess I was trying to appease the person who sent it to me…. I haven’t spoken to her in months… She doesn’t like my liberal leaning politics… Now, I wish I hadn’t been part of it …. I don’t care what she thinks about my politics.
then why don’t you remove her from your friends list??? obviously you don’t care about her at all.
In response to another comment. See in context »if you don’t care about what she thinks about your politics, and you have not talked to her in 11 months, why don’t you go to the privacy page and delete her from you facebook contacts?
In response to another comment. See in context »cost vs benefit:
cost – several hundred thousand women move their fingers a little bit typing a barely embarrassing piece of info.
benefit – 1 woman catches breast cancer early enough to save her life.
I’m sold.
Might as well start using “sexting” for breast cancer awareness.
grow up, seriously. go outside and get ran over
In response to another comment. See in context »whoa. harsh. relax a bit.
In response to another comment. See in context »Many people are writing about it, perhaps, but how many people are actually _doing_ something?
Have donations increased to BC research groups? Has enrollment in BC support groups gone up? Are more scientists now helping look for a cure for BC or at least a reasonable way of dealing with it that doesn’t involve lopping off a part of a womans body?
Awareness is being raised, you say. Lisa asks the question, “awareness of what?” Statistics? Survival rates? Treatment methodologies? So what?
I’m a man, and hell, I’m _aware_ of breast cancer. I’m aware it exists. I’m aware some people die of it. I’m aware some survive. What good does that do anyone?
This is feel-good, do-nothing, armchair activism along the same lines as all the fools who rushed out to put the yellow “Support our troops” ribbons on the backs of their SUVs. Don’t like the way your congressman votes? Click this button to sign our petition and join our cause.
Pointless.
Worse than pointless- it’s creating a non-constructive outlet for their concerns.
In response to another comment. See in context »Like buying a “discounted” yellow ribbon to hang on your car, where the “savings” is skipping the donation to the cause in question.
I think, if anything, it gives all the vapid, pretentious busybodies purpose in their lives and an excuse for sitting in front of their computers six hours a day.
“I wasn’t just on Facebook for six hours. I was raising awareness of breast cancer.”
In the time it took you to update your bra color status, you should have been making someone a sandwich.
In response to another comment. See in context »Not pointless at all. You just don’t understand the ‘marketing’ aspect of fund raising for disease. In point of fact, Susan Koman Foundation has raised millions upon millions for breast cancer research due to such gimmicks as the cancer walks, etc. Anything that keeps a disease in the public eye has a dramatic impact on fund raising. And fund raising does, for a fact, make a huge difference in break-throughs for cancer.
In response to another comment. See in context »so, you know, chill on the cynicism unless you can say you’ve been affected either personally or in your family and you still don’t see any value.
I wish non-hodgkins lymphoma, my particular brand of cancer, stirred as much interest as breast cancer advocacy and marketing has. But that certainly doesn’t make me any less pleased that so much has been accomplished for breast cancer.
Easy to be a cynic until it matters to you. And, by the way, since you obviously are aware of breast cancer, what have you contributed beyond writing an insensitive comment on a blog?
Touche. Don’t you find it interesting that the defenders of the meme are either fundraisers or survivors and the cynics are– well, what are they? I think the word is “sanctimonious”.
In response to another comment. See in context »I too have walked the Breast Cancer Walks…what is wrong with Unity or efforts to save one womans life? Like I said in your other “article” – what if it reminds or influences ONE woman to schedule a Mammogram that saves her life?? Then, it is WELL worth it.
What did it cost YOU? I have friends and Aunts that have had Breast Cancer and from their own mouths…the more you keep people talking about it, the less likely people will lose their lives to this disease.
There are professionals to talk through your issues. Stop taking it out on the people who are making an effort to continue to spread the word. Breast Cancer awareness is important and a good reminder that it isn’t going away!
I can’t speak for Lisa but what it costs ME is the pain of having some people make a horrible disease “fun”, which creates the feeling that it shouldn’t be so difficult and hard but that we can all have a good laugh over it.
To my mom, aunt and I’m sure many other survivors this is hugely painful as it gives them the feeling that what they went through wasn’t really bad, after all… it’s an “opportunity” to change their lives, to create awareness (whatever the hell that means) or to just be grateful *barf* with what they have (and that’s “just” the survivors not the women that passed away).
In response to another comment. See in context »Lisa… You’re pissed off!!!? I gotta tell ya, this statement
“WTF? What retard thinks this is a plausible sequence of events? Learning Facebook friend’s bra color > mammography > cure for breast cancer?
is so offensive and hideous! You’re pissed of about women posting their bra colors on Facebook? Really??
Maybe it’s the fact that I grew up defending my beautiful sister against words like “retard” that I find myself furious at the sight of your use of it, but whatever, it’s just not okay. I’m truly stunned that your generation seems to think it’s okay. It’s not, it truly is not.
i’m so SICK of politically correct tight assed no sense of humor idiots like MIZ Cullen spreading their DOUR, PRISSY-NESS…..ANYTHING that raises awareness of breast cancer is a good thing….whether it’s this bit of whimsy on facebook or the pink ribbon you look down your upturned nose at….and as far as your nasty little comment about “stroll a thons” goes???? they’ve raised more money and awareness of breast cancer than you and your ilk EVER will!
very well said.
In response to another comment. See in context »i like what you had to say.
In response to another comment. See in context »It’s humor, simply humor. And no, there is nothing funny about breast cancer – or any kind of cancer. My wife and I can each attest to that. There are months of gut wrenching, terrifying chemo treatments, follow up exams that feel like standing before a judge waiting to see if you live or die. There are massive changes in you ability to have sex and please your partner and years of wondering when it will all come back and wondering if you will win again.
So please, put your pompus attitude back in the box and allow some humor our there. Of everything we tried to stem the terror, humor was the best medicine – hands down.
And, on the off chance you are suffering from this disease – or some other life threatening illness – try humor. It lifts the veil of hopelessness and offers a bit of joy.
It’s really working!
Why, just yesterday I overheard this conversation:
A: Hey, what’s up with all these colors as people’s facebook statuses?
B: Oh, it’s to raise awareness of breast cancer.
A: Breast cancer? What is this “breast cancer” you speak of? I have never heard of it before.
B: It’s a terrible disease that kills millions of women every year.
A: Really? My goodness, I had no idea!!! Something should be done about that.
B: I agree!
A: Well, anyway I have to get going now.
B: Okay, see you later.
A: Bye
Now doesn’t it seem like their is something slightly more shocking to get your panties all in a wad about? Grow up and get over it. You have to know how childish you come off when you’re like so totally grossed by knowing someones bra color.
Maybe it is pointless. Who knows? But it got people talking, right? Then people decided to add more meaningful links and statistics to the conversation. Seems like a success to me.
Are we that stuck with a corn cob that this is actually what you are angry and oh wtf about. Are you freakin serious? The world has horrible things in it and just because women pointed out their bra color for breast cancer awareness then so be it…… so there is your WTF comment
I am 54 years old. I had Her2-positive breast cancer; one of the most aggressive breast cancer, diagnosed 2005. As of now I am cancer free. I posted my bra color on facebook! No matter how the word is spread about breast cancer or any other cancers; any exposure is good. If there is one woman who checks her breast and finds a lump and get a mammogram; then the awareness on Facebook was worth it. Your article will hopefully make one woman think to check her breast and get a mammogram. So both your article and Facebook will hopefully get enough attention to help even one woman.
It is a shame that something positive has to be twisted in such a way that you have to create negativity out of it. This subject is very personal to me and also close to home. They meaning individuals who would have had a reason to be upset, didn’t even take it in the context that you ran away with. It was something positive, that we all supported Breast Cancer awareness .Just becaues it was done in a fashion that you didn’t like doesnt mean you had to take it so out of context.Breast Cancer is a serious thing . Stop reading into something that wasn’t there. No body that I am aware of shot pics of their breasts and put it on the website , but it looks like you decided to degrade the cause by your own pictures.
Omg really? Are you seriously THAT petty?!?! I have 2 Breast Cancer survivors in my family and I participated in the chain. You should seriously be ashamed of yourself for being soooo concerned about other people’s lives. Don’t let this stuff piss you off. You want to sit there and criticize the Breast Cancer walks when most of the women who are in those walks are survivors showing that they’re still strong able women who didn’t let cancer beat them. Before you open your mouth and spout your opinion, think first. Otherwise keep it to yourself!
This is very petty. What is the big deal of having some fun and getting people talking about Breast Cancer? My mother had Breast cancer and was the funniest person I know. She past in 1992 and she would have joined in with the rest of America that has a sense of humor. With facebook you have that option to not participate. So don’t. If you are talking about offensive then I would take a look at the picture in your article. Also this was just for friends and family not for outsiders. So just get over it and move on to something else your pissed off about and so you have something to write.
I agree, I received the same message but it wasn’t from a specific organization and didn’t provide a link to get additional information.
I didn’t post the color of my bra because I found it a little personal and didn’t know how it would help the cause.
“I’m not the only one. When I Googled blogs mentioning “facebook bra colors,” I found 55,638 posts”
And that’s 55,638 blogs, including yours, posting about breast cancer awareness that otherwise wouldn’t have been.
Duh! I wonder if it worked?
i think it is so sad of you to be so hurtful and hateful in your reporting. i think it is terrible that you put a picture of a set of breasts on this article. people putting a color on their status on fb has nothing to to with that picture in your article. you use words like pissed off and supremely irritated. what did it hurt and who did it hurt for people to post a color on fb? if you want to know about survival rate or cures, get involved with a cancer group. be a hospice volunteer work directly with a cancer patient. but don’t critisize people for just posting a color. the article i read on aol stated by carl franzen quotes you saying “I’m vomitously sick of a serious illness like breast cancer being reduced to twee pink ribbons and strollathons,” i am sure you did not vomit but i do feel very very sorry for you that you made such a horrific statement. i had a mother who died of cancer she would have put her color “white” on there with the rest of us.
i should had added, maybe you would feel differently if you were next to your mom when she took her last breath while you were holding her and begging her not to go as she died of cancer. maybe then you would have felt differntly about how you reported your story. i want to say i appreciate you did not agree with what happened on fb, everyone is entitled to an opinion but your harsh words were very hurtful to some of us who have lived with a loved one who died of the horrible disease.
In response to another comment. See in context »After following the replies to your article its official…..You are an awful person.
Some commentators seem to misunderstand the nature of the objection to this meme. It has nothing to do with the appropriateness of underwear as a facebook status topic. It is not an objection to coping with adversity by “having some fun” or doing something positive. It has nothing to do with gender politics, or even breast cancer specifically. The meme could have been about anything–AIDS, the environment, global poverty, prostate cancer, etc. The objection would be the same in any case.
This latest facebook meme seems to have been a tipping point triggering a backlash against “slacktivism” in general. That’s really what grates; the growing prevalence of slacktivism in our culture. Snopes.com has a good entry on the so I’ll quote it briefly since they put it better than I can:
“A sense of powerlessness and lack of control . . . becomes replaced by the certainty that real change can be brought about at the cost of no more effort than it takes to type a few characters on a keyboard . . .”
I don’t dispute that slacktivism engenders warm feelings of bonding among the people who participate in it. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But that is all it does. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional.
Slactivist fads are becoming more prevalent in our society every day, and they are not making the world a better place. They are making it a sillier place. That is the basis of the complaint.
I agree. I think you hit the nail on the head. It’s somewhat amusing looking at all the outrage over Lisa’s or anybody else’s aversion to the facebook campaign. People get so angry, when it’s clearly just a criticism of the culture behind it, relying on viral fads about bra colors for breast cancer awareness, of all things. It forgives the lack of awareness with a single silly color on a social network. If you can’t find the sad irony in that then I don’t know what to tell you.
My mother had cancer some years back, and I lived in the impoverished sub-sahel Africa for a period of time. Posting bra colors on a social networking site on the internet seems like such a lazy reaction to such a terrible thing.
In response to another comment. See in context »I strive each and every day to think more globally, while acting more locally, but I am concerned that promoting so much awareness is unsustainable.
Although I’m a myn, and therefore mamodeficient, if I had a bra, it would certainly be covered with so many ribbons that keeping track of them would be challenging.
If facebooking underwear colors promotes breast and/or breast cancer awareness without further taxing our recycling facilities (from all the ribbons) or depleting more of our natural resourcses (from all the printed pornography) it could provide a synergistic net benefit or something.
Lisa,
You obviously are very smart and have alot to offer the internet community. However, I felt you wasted your time commenting on the dumb bra color subject. I dont understand your anger and hostility tword some stupid single- day passing fad that traveled thought Facebook and will be forgotten in a week. Gee, what can we complain about next week?? I answered the stupid facebook bra color “secret” response, not because I wanted to save the world, or show that I’m concerned about breast cancer, (which I am)but because I was stuck at a train crossing and was bored. None of it really matters.
LISA TAKEUCHI CULLEN
http://trueslant.com/lisacullen/2010/01/08/facebook-bra-color-and-the-problem-with-awareness/
You continue to rant like Roy Cohen in the 1950s about a simple way to bring awareness about BREAST CANCER. You abuse your mission as a blogger to bring light to a subject on this issue. Cancer is the number 1 killer in the WORLD. That’s big. No one likes it. Some deny it. Wake up and smell the roses. Your attacks will not stop AWARENESS attempts by others to EDUCATE. You may find your niche with some readers but you will lose hundreds with your attitude. Better your readers thank one woman lost to cancer. Also, tell your readers to do their monthly breast exams. It may save another life.
LISA TAKEUCHI CULLEN
http://trueslant.com/lisacullen/2010/01/08/facebook-bra-color-and-the-problem-with-awareness/
You continue to rant like Roy Cohen in the 1950s about a simple way to bring awareness about BREAST CANCER. You abuse your mission as a blogger to bring light to a subject on this issue. Cancer is the number 1 killer in the WORLD. That’s big. No one likes it. Some deny it. Wake up and smell the roses. Your attacks will not stop AWARENESS attempts by others to EDUCATE. You may find your niche with some readers but you will lose hundreds with your attitude. Better your readers than one woman lost to cancer. Also, tell your readers to do their monthly breast exams. It may save another life.
Sadly it’s Sunday Lisa and the controversay is over. FB voters win by a landslide. If one woman remembers she hasn’t had her mammogram yet or does a breast exam, then it’s gotten the word out. And by the way, please don’t think that women are stupid just because they posted their bra color. You need to get out of the house more.
Lisa Weiss… she didn’t call us “stupid,” it was “retard”s.
Bra colors isn’t even the worst… Here in Holland someone came up with the genius idea of placing a picture of naked (healthy!) breasts in the morning (free) newspaper. I complained, not on a moral basis as I don’t give a hoot but because I think it’s insulting to those who have breast cancer. The reply: the name of the campaign was “breasts belong together” and therefore it was a good idea… true story, (unfortunately) no joke.