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Every year, from the 1st to the 31st of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month takes place in many countries. This is an international health campaign; the events organized during this period aim to encourage screening, inform the population and raise funds for research. The pink ribbon represents this campaign, hence the name ‘pink October’ in France, for example. It originally comes from the United States and was created in 1985 by the American Cancer Society and the British company Imperial Chemical Industries.
During this month, several actions are implemented to ‘support people diagnosed with breast cancer’, ‘educate people about breast cancer risk factors’, ‘encourage women to go for regular breast cancer screening’ and ‘raise money for breast cancer research’. Indeed, this circulation of information is important because ‘more than two million women around the world are diagnosed with the disease each year’. Breast cancer also concerns men even though it is rare; men also have breast tissue and they can develop breast cancer.
Several events take place internationally during this month, such as running races. but there are also symbolic actions. For example, the pink lighting of the Eiffel Tower in Paris at the beginning of October. This campaign also helps fund research concerning the study of this cancer and also raises awareness among women about practices such as breast self-palpation which allows for an earlier diagnosis. It also informs on the risk factors for breast cancer including age, being overweight or obese, lack of physical activity, alcohol consumption, some treatments, environmental pollution, hormonal contraception. Personal history can also have an impact on the development of breast cancer: ‘after breast cancer, a woman has about four times more risk of developing a tumor in the other breast compared to women who have never had one. The risk is also increased after ovarian and/or endometrial cancer.’
However, even if the actions and events of this month allow to raise awareness among the global population and to raise funds for research concerning this cancer, many people do not approve of the way these messages are conveyed because they consider that they deviate from the main message and from the reality of the serious consequences of this cancer. ‘Many people are also offended by what’s become known as “pinkwashing.” This is the term used to describe when companies use pink ribbons to sell their products – but those products may increase the risk of breast cancer.’ Some people also think that this month doesn’t really show the consequences of breast cancer on men and minimises this problem.
The actions organized during this month aim to inform people and raise awareness notably allowing for a faster diagnosis of breast cancer while carrying a message of hope regarding research.
Edited by Ruby Fry
Image: Pink Ribbon on Pink Surface by Anna Shvets, 2020 // Public Domain
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