I opened my CRUK supporter newletter yesterday to see that CRUK will be using ‘It’s a girl thing’ in October. I was most disappointed because gives the impression that all breast cancer patients are Kylie or Christine Applegate while some men get breast cancer. I vaguely remember that a conservative politician’s father (Michael Howard’s) died of it a long time ago. Also, older women are more at risk (I think of girls as being younger than 60, what do other people think?).
Best wishes,
Christine
Well I do think of myself as a girl and a woman but I still agree. I don’t see what they hope to achieve with that at all… it is insulting to men with the disease. I don’t see what they hope to gain.
I think maybe some new agencies are needed to come up with some more original ideas, who does dream these up anyway?
I’ve heard of worse though.
Angie, 33 and not at all girly despite being a girl. Attempt to dress me in pink and you’d better run 
Am I being an old grump or does anyone else think this trivializes it. I was once told I had a fashionable cancer!
That person was very lucky I wasnt up for murder!
To me “a girl thing” is too many pairs of shoes or being able to multi task.
Love Debsxxx
LOl debs… too true. although I’m better at multitasking and prefer boots (very very muddy up here)
I’m not looking forward to all the dreaded fluffy pink stuff coming round as I was diagnosed during the first week of October 2006. I remember at the time saying to the surgeon I couldn’t get away from it all. There’s never a good time, but October is a lousy month to be told you have this. I’m afraid I’m another who thinks all the pink stuff somehow makes BC seem less serious to those not affected.
October is also the anniversary of my dad’s death 12 months before I was diagnosed. I’m hoping to go away for a few days, I did this last year.
Yes October is nearly upon us…I too was diagnosed in Octiober …2003. Each year I have various fantasies which include walking along Downing Street topless and one breasted, flour bombing the Fashion show, picketing ASDA and abseiling in the House of Lords…but it comes to nought and I just moan on here.
As to ‘Its a Girl Thing’…grrrh. I think women of all ages sometimes refer to ourselves in parody as girls (and I’m 59 and a half so just meet your criteria Christine) but 'thats very different from using ‘girly’ to triavilaise and sanitise a serious illness which kills women of all ages, particularly older women.
Since I was disagnosed about 220,000 women and 1500 men have been diagnosed with breast cancer and well over 60,000 women and about 400 men have died in the UK alone.
Jane
I’m glad you highlighted the male thing Jane - my brother had a young male work colleague who was diagnosed 3 years ago.
Just to say I would very happily march past Downing St in October with you Jane not sure about fashion week as I have never encountered a model with a breast!
Debs and Jane - I’d be happy to join you on the Downing St march!
I think the tabloids, too, should perhaps do their thing to support the fight against breast cancer by featuring for a week page 3 women who’ve had breast surgery - what do you reckon?!!
And, yes, models with breasts would be a novel idea, let alone those who might have had surgery!
Lizzie x
Lizzie… That is a brilliant idea… who’s up for emailing the sun and other papers that do page 3 asking for them to feature women who’ve had life saving breast surgery ( so they can’t just use cosmetic surgery as an example) but then would any be prepared to model?
They wouldn’t have to guts I reckon.
Oh I’m sure the Sun would do it…but they’d be no control over the editoeial comment and ti would be yet another pink profieering opportunity.
By the way I had a particular pink fashion show in mind not the regular catwalk
Jane
Hi
My son nicky was diagnosed 2 years ago at the age of 24, it has been very hard for him to get his head around, there is so little info about young men and this awful disease, yet he has suffered just the same, he even had to go onto a ladies surgical ward for his mascectomy which was very uncomfortable for him,
He will be modelling in that fashion show in october, and it is that what has kept him focused these past few months as not much good as happened for him these past 2 years except he knows how lucky he is to have survived this far.
When we tried to get benefits of some description and was turned down i was told he was lucky to have the best type of cancer!!! that ignoramous was so lucky we were in different parts of the country otherwise i would not have been responsible for my actions!!!
Irene, don’t get me started on being turned down for benefits, I know where you are coming from on that one!
Let me know if you hit Downing Street, I’ll join you!
Wish your son good luck, Irene, I think I read a posting from him a few weeks back(?) Having to have surgery in a female BC ward is appalling!!! How insensitive to all concerned!
Sue
“It’s a girl thing”!!! I can’t stand being referred to as a girl and have hated that description for about the last 20 years. I’ll be 50 next year and I am most definitely a woman, not a girl. And it does trivialise the disease, the same as the whole pink thing- can’t stand that either. There do seem to be a lot of people who think BC “is n’t that abd these days” as I’ve had someone say to me. Certainly does nothing for your violent tendencies.
Geraldine
Going through some old documents I came across the follwoing letter I wrote to CRUK in 2006. I don’t recall their reply…if there was one. So nothing has changed:
_______
Fundraising manager CRUK
Dear
RE: It’s a girl thing.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago and am only too aware that October brings an annual media and marketing razzmatazz of ‘tickled pink’ nonsense.
I was so annoyed when CRUK’s pink envelope with its catchy slogan: ‘Its’ a girl thing’ came through my letter box complete with tacky plastic biro and cheap pink ribbon. A slogan such as this may be appropriate for marketing tampons or face cream but not for raising funds for breast cancer. This slogan trivialises a killer disease which 41,000 women and 300 men are diagnosed with annually in the UK. Breast cancer is emphatically not a ‘girl thing.’
Your letter inside the envelope was more sensible though failed to mention that men as well as women get breast cancer. I did find your disclaimer that the letter might be a ‘distressing subject’ very patronising. Anyone with breast cancer inevitably learns how to live with fear of recurrence. We are pretty tough and get on with our lives as best we can. However, many women I know with breast cancer are very angry indeed about the commercialisation of breast cancer and what we perceive as silly marketing which portrays women as small children, and breast cancer as some kind of sexy designer illness.
I cannot imagine that you would try to raise funds for prostate cancer by marketing it as a ‘boy thing’ or send a brown envelope and a brown pen to raise money for bowel cancer.
I know that CRUK only follows the trend in breast cancer campaigning which is promoted by the specialist breast cancer charities and many companies in the private sector. It would be good to see, though, a leading organisation such as yours setting a more appropriate tone for fund raising. As far as I am concerned your letter has actually put me off contributing to CRUK. Breast cancer will probably kill me. I changed my will in favour of several breast cancer charities when I was diagnosed and now intend to change it again to leave money to those organisations working in the cancer field whose marketing matches the gravity of the cause they work for.
Yours etc…
______
Anyone please feel free to use this letter or a version of it to write to CRUK .
Jane
Jane
I think this is a very good letter indeed - thank you for making such excellent turns of phrase and well crafted remarks available to the rest of us.
S
Yes, Jane, very well put as always!