I’ve just found this thread and read it through from the beginning. I’m saddened by how a thread that started with such vigorous intellectual debate deteriorated to perceived accusations (can’t think of a better word) of’taking sides’ ‘gangs’ etc. It can be very difficult to convey your true meaning in text as we all rely on body language and tone of voice to truly understand what is being said when we are face to face with friends. I know we all do our best on this site and no one wants to deliberately offend anyone else. We’re all in this together and vulnerable.
I can see both sides of this argument and I felt uneasy about the pink fluffy image, before I had BC. I’m recenty diagnosed and before I was diagnosed my youngest daughter told me she was in training for Race for Life as her OH has a colleague at work with BC. I applauded her efforts whilst secretly wondering why the Race for Life had to be pink AND FLUFFY. Why not just Race for Life?
I’ve had major concerns for years about the way equality for women is trending, (if that’s a verb). I’m also concerned about consumerism and the new religion of ‘celebrity’ and for me there’s an obvious link. I don’t think I’m straying form the thread here.
Money raised for charity by pinkness is still money raised for charity, but it’s still reenforcing the stereotype of pink fluffy women, in my opinion. I also believe that the public in general are of the opinion that BC is curable, nobody dies from it any more and aren’t we lucky. My own daughters who are intelligent well informed women, both said to me that it’s easy to cure these days. I didn’t want to upset them at the time by disillusioning them, as it was early days but that was what they thought, from what they’d read in the media. I’m slowly drip feeding information and trying to be sensitive to their emotions, but they still need to know the truth.
My OH also is of the opinion that ‘keeping positive’ is essential, and this does make me feel sometimes that he believes that if I die from this disease that it’s my own fault. I know he doesn’t mean it this way and it’s obviously easier for everyone if I appear bright and chirpy on the outside. I don’t want to make it any harder for my family than it already is. That’s why this site is so important. We can rant and rave, argue, sw**r and have massive differences of opinion, but we all have something in common, BC and we can talk about it here. Who needs therapy when we have this? OMG now I might offend those having therapy. Didn’t mean it and I’ve been thinking of having therapy myself. See, it’s easy to offend when none was intended.
The extension of the debate into feminism isn’t going off the thread as it’s another point of view about ‘There’s nothing wrong with pink and fluffy’. I think there’s a lot wrong with it, it raises money which goes to very good practical use, but it doesn’t raise awareness, it gives false expectations of cure and perpetuates the ‘little woman’ image that women have fought for years to overcome. I wear pink, I wear make up, I vote, I think, I bake bread and know how a diesel engine works, but I won’t be dancing the cconga in a fluffy pink boa, unless it’s New Year’s Eve.
My 72-Year-Old One-Boobied Granny?” After all, statistically, that’s whose rack is truly at risk.’