You Love Supporting the Fight Against Breast Cancer, But Beware of "Pinkwashing" Say Some
By Sarah Jio, Glamour magazine
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and you're probably seeing a lot of pink when you go shopping--from the mall to the grocery store. While it's great to see companies jump on the fund-raising bandwagon for one of the deadliest diseases for women, some experts are criticizing what they say is "pinkwashing"--fund-raising they believe may not be so great for breast cancer research after all...
Fried chicken for the cure? Some experts say not so fast.
You bought a pink spatula and a pack of batteries with a pink ribbon on it because you believed you were supporting breast cancer research--and you were. Many companies give generously during the month of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to nonprofit organizations spearheading breast cancer research.
Related: Support Breast Cancer Awareness: Shop for 12 Cute Gifts That Just Happen to Give Back.
But, according to reports, some health experts and breast cancer patients are peeved that some of those companies' hearts may be in the wrong place. While the advocacy group Breast Cancer Action warned of "pinkwashing" back in 2002, when companies plastered a pink ribbon on their product and gave very little to nothing to breast cancer research, now they, and others, are pointing the finger at companies that try to "hitch a ride on the pink ribbon bandwagon" to hawk products actually linked to cancer or poor health.
This year, the Think Before You Pink campaign is targeting alcohol companies that urge people to "pink their drink." Alcohol has been linked to breast cancer in a number of studies, note experts, and the message implies that the more you drink, the more you are supporting breast cancer.
Others under scrutiny are KFC's "Buckets for a Cure" (some say that the restaurant, with its fat and salt-laden foods, shouldn't be allowed to sport the pink ribbon) and even a U.S. gunmaker that's sporting the pink ribbon on certain handguns.
I'm curious what you think: Are you turned off by what these advocacy groups call "pinkwashing"?
P.S. Why your pal's smoking habit could up your risk for breast cancer. And, no pinkwashing here: 12 cute gifts that also give back to breast cancer research.
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Photo Credit: Courtesy of KFC
