Across the country, advocates are painting their towns pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month, but some supporters are getting sick of the girly-hued activism overload.
"The pink drives me nuts," Cynthia Ryan, an 18-year survivor of breast cancer, told the Associated Press last year. "It's the cheeriness I can't stand."
While the annual Susan G. Komen for the Cure pink campaign is undeniably the largest –- and most visible -- initiative for breast cancer, advocates aren't limited to simply snapping on a bright pin.
Just three days into Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’ve already seen less cheer, and more snark.
Someecards, for example, is doing what it does best, giving us reason to LOL even while facing a devastating issue.
PHOTO:
Perhaps such alternatives will help open up supporters to something other than what critics call “pinkwashing."
Coined last year for the inundation of pink tees, tanks and food products that generate money for breast cancer charities, “pinkwashing” leaves some activists feeling concerned.
A few have noted that companies profit too much from the products they promote and others say that the campaign doesn’t generate enough of a conversation.
"At one time, pink was the means," Karuna Jaggar, executive director of Breast Cancer Action, told the AP. "Now, it's almost become the end in itself. In its most simplistic forms, pink has become a distraction. You put a pink ribbon on it, people stop asking questions."
Are you advocating for breast cancer patients and survivors this month? Tell us how in the comments section below!
Click through the slideshow below to read about celebrity breast cancer survivors who are fighting for a cure.
SLIDESHOW:
