Oh for the fuck of shit. The “breast cancer awareness” meme on Facebook is back. Last year ladies were supposed to reveal their bra color in their FB status. Y’all may remember what I had to say about that. Yesterday, a new one debuted:
Last year on Facebook there was a game about what color bra you were wearing at the moment. The purpose was to reach out for October Breast Cancer Awareness month. It was a tremendous success (ed: now she’ll tell you how it was such a success…wait for it…) and it had men wondering for days what was with the colors (ed: That’s success for you!) and it made it to the news (ed: Just like serial killers and the world’s ugliest dog!). This year’s game has to do with your handbag/purse, and where we put our handbag the moment we get home for example “I like it on the couch”, “I like it on the kitchen counter”, “I like it on the dresser” – well you get the idea. Just put your answer as your status with nothing more than that, then cut and paste this message and forward to all your FB female friends to their inbox. Remember – do not put your answer as a reply to this message. Put it in your status, and send it to all the girls you know.
Power through knowledge and awareness.
Oh yeah, knowledge and awareness. Of where you “like it.” Give me a fucking break already. This is another juvenile excuse for people to be all Ooooh! Naughtee! on the internets.
Is anyone really unaware of breast cancer? Does this teach women anything useful about cancer prevention? Will it make a single bit of difference to anyone who has breast cancer or is searching for a cure? No.
So once again, I’d like to say: If you want to support breast cancer treatment and research, write a check to the charity of your choice. Otherwise, quit pretending like getting your exhibitionist jollies is actually helping anyone.
Why do you hate boobs, Becky?!
Because I love cancer!
i agree with you one thousand million billion percent! if i get one more message about this stupid thing, i will scream. my favorite is the bottom line on some of the messages, which is “Let’s show them how powerful we women can be!” i am struck dumb by how much i want to say about that.
Yeah, this one just won’t work for me. My answer would “on a hook.” The last one didn’t work because I don’t wear bras. Of course, they’re both irretrievably idiotic, so there is that, too.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bonnie Mac, Pursuit of Harpyness. Pursuit of Harpyness said: News You Can’t Use: Another Dumbass Breast Cancer Meme http://bit.ly/aiu7JF [...]
Also, “next to the microwave on top of that big pile of papers I plan to file someday” just doesn’t make a very good FB status.
It might be my over sensitivity at my aunts sudden and vicious loss of both her breasts earlier this year…. But this shit pissed me off. Way to go facebook, way to trivialize pain and suffering and fear. Way to make a “kinky” and “naughty” joke out of the struggle and success/ultimate loss of these women and men and the people who love them.
I completely agree with you… how this helps in the prevention/education of Breast Cancer baffles me.
This is why Facebook is evil people. I keep telling you all and still you don’t listen. It’s a lonely furrow to plough being a technophobe in a technological age.
@ PhDork and BeckySharper
I completely missed that smartass comment since I was seeing red. Thank you ladies that made me laugh loud enough that it scared my pets. I needed that.
Oh, GOD. My boob doctor says this is dumb. Use the energy you’d expend being (not) cute and go get a check-up.
(OK, she doesn’t say it. I do. But I do have a boob doctor, and she is awesome.)
@Vertigo: It doesn’t help AT ALL. I had no idea that this was what the inane statuses were about. I figured it was a meme of some kind, but had no idea what it was all about.
I had to look this up, and really, if I don’t stop rolling my eyes over this nonsense, they may get stuck in the back of my head. Breast cancer is not a joke or a cute tag line, whoever thought this up. So cut it out. Now.
I was planning to google this phenomenon right after I checked Harpyness to figure out what the hell these statuses (statusii?) were all about. Thank you, Becky, for helping me check that off my list. I’m just thankful none of my friends have passed the original message along to me; I fear I might think less of them if they did!
I like it on…an intellectual level that is well above wink wink nudge nudge immaturity, especially when we’re talking about something as serious and devastating as breast cancer.
I’d use this if I had a facebook page, but I’m ploughing my own lonely technophobe furrow over here.
THANK YOU! My friends think I am a party pooper when I dared to ask a silly question like… How is this helping women with Breast Cancer? Their response… “Don’t be such a downer. It’s just fun.” Really? Not even in high school would this have been fun.
A-freaking-MEN.
I always just ignore these stupid memes, but I wish I were brave enough to risk offending the friends that have already done it. I lost my godmother to breast cancer, and this cutesy shit drives me up the wall. A little less that “Save the ta-tas” but I definitely join Ocean_Breeze in seeing red.
I wish I were brave enough to post “Av0gadro likes to support breast cancer awareness by donating money to cancer research and actually saying the words breast cancer instead of trying to be cute with status updates that sound dirty.”
@Avogadro: You could just put up a link to this post and let me say it for you!
[...] I find this whole vague viral awareness campaign genuinely problematic. If you don’t know what I’m talking about go check your Facebook feed. Last year an anonymous Facebook user sent out a message attempting to raise awareness about Breast Cancer by asking women to volunteer the color of their bra on their Facebook status. This year women are encouraged to post where they like to put their hand bag. [...]
Hoorah! I HATE this shit. I just posted a cranky update about it.
Thing is, if it were just a meme, I would probably have been into it. But the cancer thing leaves an icky taste in my mouth.
Got this on my FB today, and since my friends mostly already know what a cantankerous, fun-squelching grouch I am, I am going to post something to the effect of, “Here’s another perspective on these breast cancer status update memes I think have a lot of merit. I hope you’ll read them,” and a link.
I think I might be able to change a few minds… I hope. I can’t take any more of this nonsense!
My grandmother died of breast cancer before I was born, so I never got a chance to know the woman I by all accounts have so much in common with. My mom has told me stories of how almost ashamed my grandmother was of her illness; such things were just not spoken about 40 years ago. I’m glad awareness campaigns have changed that, so that women can talk about this, but good lord, silly FB updates do nothing to help anyone. Write an update about how you’ve been affected by the disease, not some trite nonsense about how your purse likes it on the couch.
And my mom is so terrified she’ll also get breast cancer that she spends the whole month of October in a low level panic at the Pink Ribbons and Awareness all around her.
I don’t like this either, but unfortunately, the first friend of mine who posted this is one who lost her mother to breast cancer a few years ago. I won’t participate, but I’d rather not criticize her for taking part when she’s so much closer to the disease than me. I still reserve the right to silently roll my eyes, though.
@Tall-In-Heels
I love your response and I’m going to use it on my FB page. I have been fuming on how to respond to this so this post and all of your one-liners are much appreciated.
I had no idea that bra thing had anything to do with breast cancer. So much for spreading awareness.
[...] I find this whole vague viral awareness campaign genuinely problematic. If you don’t know what I’m talking about go check your Facebook feed. Last year an anonymous Facebook user sent out a message attempting to raise awareness about Breast Cancer by asking women to volunteer the color of their bra on their Facebook status. This year women are encouraged to post where they like to put their hand bag. [...]
I got so pissed off about it last night that I went and made a donation to my favorite breast cancer support group just to spite the people who think that “raising awareness” with sexual tones is somehow beneficial. I guess it DID work.
Whew! Thanks for saying this. Seems like I’ve been “overly critical” (meaning, thinking about things that are problematic) lately and it’s good to see folks agreeing. My mother is a breast cancer survivor and we had a big scare this week right when this meme started (everything’s ok, for now) and I was trying to explain to my sister-in-law about why this might be a problem. And I couldn’t do it, maybe because I was so aware of actual breast cancer. And I have a million more things to say, but, jut thanks for posting this.
I have a family history of colorectal cancer, and my awesome cousin just used the Facebook Causes application to raise money for the Colon Cancer Alliance. Her facebook plea begins, “Getting something stuck up your butt is the last thing you want to talk about, right?”
THAT is how you use Facebook to raise awareness about a stigmatized cancer, people.
If you feel it’s a pointless idea, then why bother writing about it? To make more people aware of it so they can participate? Good job.
@Tella: I don’t just think this meme is just pointless, I think it’s idiotic and offensive and someone needed to call bullshit on it. As it turns out, calling bullshit on dumbassery–particularly anti-feminist, objectifying dumbassery–is a particular hobby of mine.
So with that in mind, I’m now going to call bullshit on the dumbassery in your comment.
We need to “bother to write about it” when we see harmful, offensive or just plain idiotic messages aimed at women. Being silent about them does not help women or society at all, although it may suit your own lazy, non-activist inclinations.
And I seriously doubt that having read my post, women were heading to FB to participate in this dumbassery. Calling bullshit on something rarely encourages participation in it.
In fact, I myself went to fb to express my disgust, and a bunch of friends agreed with me.
The thing is, as Endora says, women who have had breast cancer are as diverse as women in the general population. A number of them are going to dive headfirst into the pink pool. I can’t criticize them for the way they react to the trauma of having a potentially fatal disease. But I can criticize the BCA-industrial complex for commodifying this disease and distracting us from the real point.
SAD :/ they have no compassion for anyone. Breast cancer is NO joke.
I posted this on Facebook with a comment about how breast cancer is a painful, devastating disease and not some tagline for giggles. One friend spoke up in agreement right away but I have since been attacked by another friend, whose friends then joined in. Guess this is something that separates the women from the girls! The comment that bothered me the most is “who gives a shit who’s offended!” That’s the ultimate excuse for everything that’s wrong, I think.
[...] A bit of a rant: Another Dumbass Breast Cancer Meme [...]