In an effort to remind women and men about perspective when it comes to breast cancer detection, the Breast Cancer Foundation in Singapore implemented a body art exhibit in late 2010 to draw awareness to the cause.
On each painting is the inscription:
Are you obsessed with the right things? The difference between a pimple/big-butt/bad-hair-day and breast cancer is that of life and death. Regular breast checks are the best way to fight cancer. Show support for the women in your life by purchasing a Pink Ribbon.
There are many breast cancer survivors today who urge media, researchers, friends, and family to push prevention rather than cure. To 'obsess' about the things we can proactively do to decrease breast cancer risk for each individual woman, rather than solely focus on diagnosis and reactive medicine. In My Breast Cancer: Why I Won't Race for the Cure, Danielle Rigg writes, "In an era when premenopausal breast cancer, as well as many other serious diseases, are on the rise, it is simply unacceptable to me to push the “the cure” without at least an equal emphasis on PREVENTION."
Whether your passion is a focus on prevention, education, early detection, support for women going through treatment, healing, or cure, we each play a roll in keeping perspective and empowering our daughters, sisters, girlfriends, wives, mothers and grandmothers through awareness, information, and love.
Related Sites & Books:
Cleaning For a Reason (free house cleaning services for those going through cancer treatment)
Best For Babes Foundation breast cancer posts
National Breast Cancer Foundation (U.S.)
Susan G. Komen For the Cure
BreastCancer.org
Famous Breast Cancer Survivors
Prevention / Post treatment options:
Outsmart Your Cancer: Alternative Treatments that Work
Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras
The Healing Power of 8 Sugars [glycobiology]
The Body Paint Campaign: Developed from DDB Worldwide, Singapore by executive creative director Joji Jacob, creative director Thomas Yang, copywriter Khairul Mondzi, art director Andrea Kuo, account director Rowena Bhagchandani and account executive Ng Ling Kai, with illustrator Andy Yang Soo Kit, digital retoucher Agnes Teo and photographer Allan Ng, Republic Studios.
Honestly I don't understand breast cancer awareness campaigns. It seems to me like people just like saying boob, and showing boobs, and decorating boobs. I have nothing against boobs, but I think it just perpetuates the sexualization of them. I googled and couldn't find anything on body art for lung cancer or heart disease.
ReplyDeleteMy mom and my grandmother are breast cancer survivors, so I understand how it affects people, but I think most campaigns end up trivializing it.
Just beautiful xxo <3
ReplyDeleteDone well for a great cause :)
Anonymous
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree with you to some point, on both points about sexualizing breasts and trivializing cancer, the aim of these campaigns are to provoke a reaction - to put women into action. Breast Cancer survivors or the women who stand by them and see what they go through don't need awareness campaigns like these because they have been woken up to it in an unfortunate way, but for everyone else, they need something thought provoking, something that stands out to bring the message across.
I'd be curious for your feedback on my project as well... Though we certainly don't trivialize anything - these women are all breast cancer survivors...
ReplyDeleteset on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uncommonstock/sets/72157615502729662/detail
group on facebook (currently dealing with some shameful censorship issues):
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Breast-Cancer-Awareness-Body-Painting-Project-BCABPP/187943537902540
thanks in advance and enjoy :-)
Michael
It's a bit ironic that Komen advertises on things that actually cause cancer. Such as KFC, cookies, chips, lotions with parabens. etc. Makes me sick how sheeply people are who buy those products just because it has a pink ribbon on it.
ReplyDeleteI love them.
ReplyDeleteAnd to the woman above who does not like them fine it would be a boring old world if we all liked the same things but as Wendy says the point is to provoke a reaction and these certainly do.
Maybe the reason these women feel the need to present their bodies as a canvass is breasts are a visible part of being a woman and many women initially feel like a large part of them including their sexuality has been removed breast cancer more than illnesses such as lung cancer or heart disease which are equally serious but not quite as visible.
They are pretty neat. That being said, my sympathy goes out to any woman who has experience or is experiencing this horrible cancer but I'm not buying into any campaign. It's marketing at it's finest. If there is something that needs to be cured, then there is always income. This is just another marketing tactic. If it's cured (and there are already cures if you look and commit to the lifestyle changes needed) then wheres the money going to come from? A cure = income suicide...
ReplyDeleteOn another not unrelated note, the testing for breast cancer causes cancer. There is hard science to confirm that. Voluntarily irradiating your breasts is not good practice, but it sure is lucrative.
My heart is with all those that suffer with this disease as a result of not enough information or being guided to the right information. Sending Love.