Now, that I have your attention, let’s dish a little about the most recent meme (internet lingo for “chain letter”) going around Facebook. It seems to have started mid-week in the UK/Ireland area and by the end of the week had come crashing onto American and Canadian soil. Women all over Facebook were randomly posting colors as their status updates.
What the hell? It’s bad enough I need to know what the kid I barely spoke to in high school but am far too guilty to ignore as a friend request had for lunch today, now I’m seeing all these colors clogging up my status stream. Seriously, WTH!!!!!
Further investigation (and a trip to Mashable) quickly confirmed what the trend seemed to be about. Women were updating their status with the color of the bra they were wearing to raise awareness about breast cancer. Thousands of people who probably have been affected in some way by cancer (cause really, if you’ve never known anyone who has been affected by this horrible disease then you must not have many friends and family) taking a few seconds to do something that made them feel like they contribute. Like a silly 3 second status update is going to do something…ANYTHING…to help eradicate this CANCER in our world.
And that’s when all the complaining began.
“This was probably just started by two college guys who wanted to see how many women they could get to update their status with the color of their bras cause they still giggle when you use the word “boobies.” “That’s just stupid.” “You aren’t doing anything to cure or help cancer.”
Activists, we have a serious problem. And that problem is us.
For at least 3-5 days we had an opportunity to seize the buzz and awareness being built around breast cancer. Which (PS) leads to buzz and awareness about ALL types of cancer. We had an opportunity to educate and fundraise. We had an opportunity to reach out to people we may not have even known might be passionate or at least have interest in the battle against cancer. We had an opportunity to congratulate and engage women across Facebook to take it one step further, to make even more of a difference.
Cause you know what…each one of those STUPID women who updated their STUPID status updates with a STUPID color for a STUPID reason contributed to getting us riled up enough to talk about cancer. We talked about it on Facebook, we talked about it on Twitter, we talked about it at the office and at Happy Hour.
And instead of celebrating the chance to talk to people about cancer awareness (cause that sort of thing doesn’t always just lend itself to daily conversation) we bitched about how it was dumb and not good enough. We destroyed and cynically condemned a thing that could have been a powerful instrument in the war against cancer.
Why do we tear down other people’s ideas and causes as not being “good enough” instead of celebrating each tiny triumph?
While you are chewing on that, I’m gonna leave you with a couple links to some GREAT cancer sites and organizations. Plus a really cool video for breast cancer awareness that makes my heart happy because sometimes the greatest weapon we have against any dark force is love and happiness.
- American Cancer Society – If you want to learn about cancer, join the fight against cancer or find out how to get involved locally, check these folks out
- Susan G. Komen For The Cure – If you want to learn more about breast cancer, if think you might have/do have/are a survivor of breast cancer, if you know someone who does have breast cancer, if you want to buy pink golf balls to support fundraising and cancer research for breast cancer this is the place to go.
- Relay For Life – “The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease.”
- Elisa Doucette’s Relay For Life Page – Yep, I am a PROUD supporter and participant in the South Portland (Maine) Relay for Life. One of the most amazing friends I have actually chairs the entire event, even though I’m quite sure it is what has caused his hair to grey more rapidly. So visit my site and make a donation. $5 doesn’t sound like much but LOTS of $5 donations add up pretty fast. If you don’t want to find this post again closer to the event (June 2010) I’ll have that little Relay For Life icon on Ophelia’s Webb thru August 2010.
*** In case you were wondering, I don’t even own a red silk with black lace bra. My bra color today is white…I know…I’m a seductress)
Photo Credit: Getty Images: Karan Kapoor
This is the best piece I’ve read on this whole occurrence. Very well done. Kudos to you, Elisa.
.-= Sam Davidson´s last blog ..There Are Only Two Good Reasons to Quit Your Job =-.
Thanks Sam! Considering how much I admire your opinion and the work you do with Cool People Care this comment means a LOT.
Awesome post 🙂 You are 110% correct in this. You know why it was the shot heard around the world? Because people talked about it. They talked, argued and got mad as hell. With cancer, you talk about it, argue with cancer itself and get mad as hell. It’s unfair, unreasonable and unexplainable. It was bra colors. So what?! It was women pulling together to make a statement. To say to breast cancer, “We may be mad as hell, but we’ll be damned if we let you get the best of us”. Remember the bully in elementary school? Remember what made him stop? Showing him that you weren’t scared of him and his antics anymore. I will never deny that breast cancer or any other kind of cancer is scary. I’ve seen too many times now the fear it can put into people. But it’s how we deal with that fear, let it rule how we live and love or let it give us strength? I choose strength. Great post and I’m really proud of you for not being afraid to say that you have boobs and you need a containment unit for them and what color it is 😉 For me, it’s tan today!
Amy Doucette’s last blog… http://amydoucette.wordpress.com/
Amy – Very true, the fact that people are willing to talk, collaborate and heck even update their FB statuses about breast cancer is a HUGE statement. It is standing up to the bully and saying “We will not let you have power over our lives any more. We will one day take you down…until then, we’ll chip away at you piece by piece. Take THAT!” I love it!
Boy, this really reminded me that I should log into my Facebook account every now and then because I’ve been missing out on Facebook Status Updates being shared by my female friends declaring what color lingerie they were wearing! Damn it.
But on a serious note, I think this was just a cheap ploy by a couple of frat boys to sit around and giggle over. You’re right though – even if this was a stupid way to go about declaring cancer awareness, at least it got us all talking about it! And isn’t that half the battle? To take a “taboo topic” and bring awareness to it and add a sense of comfort surrounding it by discussing it openly. Like I’ve always said, a taboo topic only remains taboo because people refuse to talk about it. So I think it’s great to get the conversation started, even if people went about breaking the ice in a very weird way.
Everyone knows someone who has battled this awful disease. And like I said, the only way to eliminate the “taboo” tie to a topic is to talk about that topic until it’s no longer taboo to discuss. Cancer = bad. Conversation = good. Elisa’s post = great…as always.
.-= David´s last blog ..I’ll Create An App For That =-.
David – You’re such a boy! 😛 How right you are…even if this did start as a silly prank by some goofy BOYS look at what it has become. It’s a catalyst for conversation about a subject that doesn’t come up in everyday conversation. And in talking about the taboo topics (even if it’s just discussing people we know or the colors of our bras or sites to visit and ways to donate) we get into even deeper conversations.
It’s things like this that devote scientists to research, doctors to passion for care and people to donate to further the cause. Who are we to stop the conversations from happening, whatever the beginning cause of the discussion might be.
Hi Elisa,
The whole bra/cancer update thing really pissed me off, to be honest. Initially I ignored all the FB messages that came from my friends because I thought it was a chain letter. Then when I saw multiple friends posting their colors, even family members, I gave in. And then it happened, as you said, with all forms of activism there’s complaining, naysayers, and people who prevent the movement.
“And instead of celebrating the chance to talk to people about cancer awareness…We destroyed and cynically condemned a thing that could have been a powerful instrument in the war against cancer.”
…that’s actually the reason why I stopped protesting when I was in high school, because awareness isn’t enough. You need to DO something.
Thank you for this post. Now I need to go do something about it, too.
(wearing blush pink)
.-= Laura Kimball´s last blog ..lamiki: Now you’re going to have a GREAT week! RT @tarable After 150 squats this morning, everything else seems so much easier. =-.
Laura – Whew! I thought at first you were saying that you were pissed off at me or the post! Glad to re-read and see that wasn’t the case. 🙂
I agree, awareness isn’t just enough. But it’s a darn good start! Glad you are taking the battle forward. Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, obviously I need to take better care when it comes to editing my comments. I’m really sorry about that!
I posted a link to your blog post on my personal Facebook profile and it evoked quite the discussion between some of my friends regarding the bra/awareness campaign and if the buzz was the intended result and what the next steps could me. The conversation was pretty remarkable and actually inspired my friend to start a Facebook group along the same lines. Check it out, it’ll be interesting to see what things we can help put into action next…
So Your Bra is Pink, Now What? http://bit.ly/5MtBoc
.-= Laura Kimball´s last blog ..lamiki: My friend @bobjorn started a FB group inspired the breast cancer buzz: So Your Bra is Pink, Now What? http://bit.ly/5MtBoc =-.
Haha, no worries! It probably didn’t help that I was reading it quickly on my phone. 🙂
I love the group! I tried joining it on my phone but it wouldn’t click thru for some reason (my phone’s issue, not the groups!) Can’t wait to join tonight.
Thank you for commending and supporting the women who updated their status and THEN having the courage and insight to take it one step further. Kudos and here’s to continuing to educate and advance in our fight against cancer!
I completely agree. Everoyne is so quick to jump on the bandwagon and add avatars for Breast Cancer or Lung Cancer or diabetes onto their facebook/twitter photos yet do the y donate money toward research? Do they participate in marathons or races to benefit a cause? Not usually. You’re absolutely right, awareness is like cooking a cake halfway – you only end up with a stomach ache when cooking it all the way through could’ve really made a DIFFERENCE!
Lindsey – Hrmm, maybe it’s just my friends but a number of the people who updated are (in fact) very involved in cancer activism. It was just another piece of the awaremness puzzle.
I definitely don’t think JUST posting a color in your status will make a difference in the battle against cancer. But as I mentioned before it is a GREAT start. And I want to celebrate people for daring to start and encourage them to continue the the battle.
Ok, so I’ll admit I updated my Facebook status once I heard about the whole Facebook trend. Did I regret it right after I posted it? Yes. I am not one to delete Twitter or Facebook statuses unless I leave out or misspell a word terribly wrong, so I didn’t clear my “red” Facebook status. I felt pretty stupid after posting it, sure it spawned some debate and put Breast Cancer Awareness on the social media forefront. My question is: Were girls really updating their statuses to raise awareness or were they doing it to be sexy? I am going to have to go with the ladder.
Thanks for helping me put this in perspective. From now on, I am going to do more proactive and positive things when it comes to awareness about causes I support. My Facebook statuses need to take a bit of a breather.
Oh and BTW- I am obsessed with your writing. Way to keep a girl on-the-go (me) engaged, all the time!
.-= Jennie´s last blog ..OnMedia Awards features 11 Boston Companies =-.
Jennie – Aw, thanks. Glad you enjoy the prose around here. 🙂
I was discussing the phenomenon that is social media and Facebook/Twitter early today with some folks who don’t use it. Analyzing and picking apart someone’s profile. Saying “See, this is why you shouldn’t have Facebook.” My response? “It isn’t Facebook that is the problem, it’s the person using it.” If there were women updating their statuses JUST to be sexy and not to support and engage further discussion on the site about breast cancer research and awareness then shame on them. That was individuals cheapening the tool, not the tool being cheap.
It’s an unfortunate thing sometimes with engaging humans in processes. Somehow we manage to muck it up!
Elisa,
First Great post and secondly Kick ass video!!!If that is not levity than I do not what is!
There is so much power to it. Wow. I am just stunned!
I saw that status thing and did not do it cause I thought the same thing? How is this helping?
I love your writing, Elisa…nice to be back here.
Katie
Katie – Thanks for stopping by – good to “see” you here again! 🙂
I’m glad you liked the video, it definitely made me happy about a subject definitely should not have any happiness about it. But, as you well know Levity Coach, sometimes the most therapeutic and best way of comabatting something sad/bad/angry/terrible/etc is to approach it with some happiness in your heart.
There’s so much negative in the world and we seem to cling to it. To focus on it. To think “Why update” or chastize those that do. Why not instead commend them for doing something a little fun and silly and then take the conversation even further?
Here’s an interesting article about this subject I thought I’d share, said the “rapid greyer”…
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thehumancondition/archive/2010/01/08/what-color-is-your-bra-facebook-s-pointless-underwear-protest.aspx
Hrmm…I think that is interesting. Cause would the article have been published, discussions had and stances taken if people had never posted their bra colors as a status update?
Or would this week have gone by like so many others with no one taking the time to even think about it? (Well, you just sent a Relay for Life email so *I* would have thought about it, but I’m not the average person (on so many levels!))
Oh my goodness, thank you SO much for posting this – you are so right on. Sometimes shit doesn’t turn out as we’d hoped, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take advantage of the outcome. Especially when it’s as kick ass as this one! So thanks for telling it like it is 🙂
.-= Marian Schembari´s last blog ..Why Freelancers Should Take a Part-Time Gig =-.
Marian – Haha, that should be the tagline for this post! Because that’s EXACTLY what I was trying to say. Who gives a flying fig if it WAS just a juvenile prank or girls were doing it for less than desirable (or perhaps pure desirability) reasons. We COULD have used the opportunity to make something beautiful but so many instead chose to focus on how it just wasn’t enough.
Thank you so much for this post, Elisa. You totally changed my thinking about the whole bra-cancer-awareness thing on Facebook. Having lost a sister in law to breast cancer three years ago and being very active in the Susan G. Komen organization, I was offended. Silly me. When I read your comment about about “tearing down other people’s ideas” and “not being good enough”…oof! Close to the bone. And so true for me.
I’ve learned something from your post. I was too quick to judge and in that haste, missed an opportunity to celebrate a “buzz” on an issue that’s near and dear to my heart. So thanks for that!
Lael – I’m so sorry about your SIL (Grace, right?)
And I do understand how the triviality of something as silly as FB update could cheapen the pain you, your family and your SIL went thru because of such a horrible disease. And it’s bullshit and you want to reach out and grab cancer around the throat and shake it all around angrily. Because really, what other recourses do we have?
I’m quick to judge on things like this a lot, so I’m definitely not without flaw in the process. On this particular one, however, I saw the virality and brilliance of social media creating a platform for progression that was quickly torn out before anyone could even stand on it. Hopefully some folks will have the thought at the back of their mind next time. And we can take the ball and TOTALLY run with it.
Step Up and Stand Out, right? 🙂
Hi,
Came here from Katie’s blog. Loved the video, love your writing. Signed up for your updates!
Welcome Tess, glad you enjoyed the post. Hope the rest keep you as engaged and entertained! Thanks for the comment and for subscribing.