By now we must be done discussing the bra colour of women all over Facebook but did anyone stop to ask why so many women actually went ahead and changed their status msg? It is simple to do so, no doubt. But is it really? Openly declaring something that most girls are looking to hide.
Personally I have lost someone to breast cancer and I, for one will do anything I can to promote this cause, even if it means doing something really meaningless. But the question now shouldn't be what did it mean to change the status msg but what now?
One thing achieved was that it least got people talking about the cause. Will it get women to go to the doctor and get themselves tested? Maybe not. But it opened conversational lines. It got me to write this post.
It is easy to say that it was an armchair activism. But something is better than nothing. I don't have money to donate but I can ask every woman I know to get themselves tested periodically. It is the same thing like sporting the pink ribbon. Nothing really comes off it but it makes people talk. More the people talk, more the awareness, less the stigma.
I aint defending the entire act of JUST changing your status msg, but it will be futile if it is JUST that. People can criticize each and every thing. But a few people can make it bigger than what it is. Make it something worthwhile.
More information on Breast Cancer : http://www.breastcancer.org/
To support the cause: http://shop.thebreastcancersite.com/
Edit: Women have always put the health of their family before their own health. It is so damn important to go for regular check ups. There is breast cancer and now, cervical cancer which can be detected at early stages by going for regular check ups. How many women you know do it? Would they do it every 3 months? Would they care if the 1st 4 tests came negative? Wouldn't they stop going then? If they aren't making this their priority, they make it your priority. Trust, you would be kicking yourself (touch wood) when something happens!
8 comments:
hear hear
good job!
i agree completely....mst of d women today are not aware that aftr d age of 35 dey need to pay a heed to dis and nt create it a hush topic...
good one rash... guess we shd support this cause
I really support the issue of raising awareness about breast cancer... It can be easily diagnosed at an earlier stage by self examination n Raising awareness among women abt that carries a great importance... I know all that... but I think this was one of the dumbest ideas ever to raise awareness... Jus my personal opinion...
I personally found the whole Facebook meme stupid. And a lot of my friends said they were doing it because it was fun, and because guys were getting confused. Now on its own, its one thing to create curiosity. But its another thing to sustain it. Getting women to put up the color of their bras as some sort of 'top secret' movement was one way of getting women to discuss something that they wouldn't otherwise, but how many women tied that up with Breast Cancer awareness? I fear that most treated it like a Facebook trend that passes.
Your commitment to the cause is true and I cant even claim to understand what it is to lose someone to any form of cancer. So I understand your PoV when you say you're willing to do something that may sound silly if it raises awareness. But the question at the end of the day is, did it really raise awareness? Or was it another form of cutesy online activism?
I agree with Paras comment here, you REALLY think that women were actually discussing about breast cancer, its pitfalls and how it can be prevented, you got to be kidding me, right? I am following this activity since last few days on both my (regular and blog ids) FB account and reading the conversations which happens on the status messages when someone puts her bra colour as SM, and not even ONCE i found anyone discussing about breast awareness.. And if you are telling me they are talking in private, its a sham again. It is just a fad which catches on. It was a marketing gimmick and people have so much vella time that they fall for them. And you should know that both FB and twitter are richer by billion of dollars because of such activity.....
Good Read. I'll look forward to your next piece
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