Many strong and powerful women in my life are survivors of breast cancer. It's an incredibly real issue, and I am glad that it's well known. However, I'm definitely not a fan of the way that it's been publicized through certain campaigns. While I'm obviously a supporter of breast cancer awareness (because I'm not a monster), I think that the industry surrounding it is a cruel one that only strives to make money.

We've all seen the hot pink shirts and bracelets for breast cancer, with some ridiculous slogan like "Save 2nd Base" or "I Heart Boobies". Hey, maybe we even used to wear them! I won't judge you if you did. These may seem fun and lighthearted, but slogans such as "Save 2nd Base" reduce a woman's goal to cure cancer and live a healthy life. Instead, it mainly stresses that women's bodies should be saved so that they can be seen as sexual again. You wouldn't make silly jokes like this about AIDS or brain cancer, so why is it okay in this scenario?

Even though these slogans obviously aren't meant to be taken seriously, it takes jabs at a sick person's pain. To quote a Huffington Post article which can be found here, "Since I had a double-mastectomy, does that mean I somehow failed since mine weren't saved? Does that mean I am less of a woman, since I technically don't have breasts anymore?"

Breast cancer affects 1 in every 8 women. It's a heavy topic to discuss, but this needs to be addressed. In the eyes of many campaigns across the country, if you lost your breasts to cancer, sorry, but you're not as feminine anymore. How can you raise awareness by donning a "Save the Hooters" shirt? Purchasing "funny" breast cancer awareness shirts are incredibly dehumanizing and humiliating.

Obviously, I'm not trying to accuse anyone of being falsely supportive of a very worthy cause. I just want to address how campaigns such as Save 2nd Base can sometimes gloss over the actual women that are battling this cancer, and focus mainly on what sells. In this case, it would be the fact that breasts - a normally taboo topic - are able to prompt open conversations about them. Do something other than wearing the shirt - donate to breast cancer awareness campaigns. Make a real and actual effort to help these women, more than sporting a funny t-shirt.