October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Personally some of my family members have had breast cancer, so I am glad they have a month to help bring awareness to it. Being at a higher risk I have to be more cautious and aware of my own body. But I have one issue, "Save the Boobs."
Now "Save the Boobs" started out as a good thing. It started out to bring awareness to a very common cancer. I have a friend who has "Save the Tatas" on his chest. I don't have an issue with his tattoos because I know for him it comes from a good place. He does breast cancer walks and a ton of different things for the cause. I know many people who use the phrase coming from a good place.
Recently, the phrase has been used to sexualize a disease. With "No Bra Day" being a common thing I feel it is just getting worse. Sexualizing a horrible disease is taking to to far. Why do we have to just save the boobs? Why does it have to be about the breast? We should be focusing on the person. The life behind the breast.
For women, our breast serve as a representation of us as a woman. They help provide our babies with nutrients so many women find it devastating. I personally found it devastating when I had issues breastfeeding and had to stop. So if women have to get a mastectomy it can leave them feeling horrible in different ways. So why make them feel less because they lost their breasts.
It's not like society wants us to save our breast to feed our children. Society is hypocritical. They don't want to see us feeding our child, many much rather just get a free show. They want us to keep our breast to sell things, or to have during foreplay. I have not seen it personally, but many women have been shamed for breastfeeding. People ask them to leave places or go to the bathroom but in many states they are protected by law (YAY!) So people result in publicly shaming them. Society doesn't care about saving the person, or the breasts that feed our children. They want to save them for their own personally gain.
So "Save the Boobs" is offensive to me. Because it has been made to seem the people behind the boobs don't matter. Once the boobs are gone does society tell those same people that their boobs matter? Sexualizing a horrible disease isn't going to help stop it, even if it helps bring awareness. It's going to start sending a message that the boobs are the only thing worth saving.
