Pinkwashing Gone Wild @pinkgonewild-blog - Tumblr Blog

"Do you know why I pulled you over?"

"No sir."

"Failure to wear pink during the month of October."

Because 8 year olds really need to be spreading the message, too ...

Ugh - UGG Should Rethink Its Use of Hashtags

Don’t you just love it when a company uses a hashtag without checking out how it is being used?

UGG Australia’s social-media team apparently didn’t do its homework when it decided to use #rethinkpink to help advertise its line of pink-themed footwear.

#rethinkpink

Where Sexy Adults Meet for the Cure

This Saturday, couples in Baltimore can swap partners knowing that they are helping to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The swingers club Tabu advertises an event that promises to donate $5 from its entry fee to the breast cancer charity.

We continue to be amazed by the lengths to which businesses -- and breast cancer charities -- are willing to go to attach themselves to the cause.

#rethinkpink

In the words of the person who passed this example of pinkwashing along... "There is no accounting for taste." According to the Cleveland Daily Banner: "Funeral homes across the nation and in Cleveland’s city limits are finally receiving the breast cancer awareness memo: Pink is the new black." The blazers cost $195, which includes the 12 percent given to charitable organizations.

Read more: Cleveland Daily Banner - Pink blazers are the new black for funeral homes

As we search for the most egregious and questionable pinkwashing example, it will be incredibly difficult to top this one. Perhaps Susan G. Komen for the Cure endorses fracking -- but we have to wonder whether an organization that really supports women's health and fighting cancer can allow itself to be associated with a product that helps pump chemicals into the ground.

#pinkgonewild

Because Nothing Says Breast Health Like Construction Equipment

There are clever attempts to raise awareness. And then there’s this:

“ ABLE Equipment Rental (ABLE) and the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC)are pleased to announce their partnership through the use of ABLE’s, Reaching Higher To End Breast Cancer pink construction boom. Typically, at a jobsite an ABLE boom lift usually raises people so they can reach higher. When they wanted to raise awareness about the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s (NBCC) Breast Cancer Deadline 2020®, ABLE knew exactly the platform to use. The Long Island, NY based company had a 60 foot construction boom lift painted a special pink color and then branded it with NBCC’s website, logo, and a very clear message: ‘End Breast Cancer.’”

We don’t doubt the company’s — or the charity’s — intentions here.

Although the fact that ABLE says it will donate “a large percentage” of revenues from projects using the lift to the charity is deliciously vague.

#rethinkpink

Rumors that the NFL was going to dial down the pink this year in the wake of its domestic-violence issues appear to be false.

We saw a LOT of pink yesterday -- embedded in the end-zone logos of the Eagles and Chargers, around the necks of every referee, and on the virtually every player.

And then there was this guy. We get it, sir. We're aware.

#nflpink #rethinkpink

Should Journalists be Going Pink?

We've already seen more than a few TV stations have their anchors wearing pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And we've even seen pink newspapers.

These all seem like nice gestures -- but they re also sending you a message. These news organizations -- which purport to be objective reporters and observers -- are sending the message that Breast Cancer charities deserve more support than other charities.

We're not seeing these same papers turned purple this month for Domestic Abuse Awareness. We're not seeing them peddle goods to raise money for other types of charities, as we're seeing with a New York City TV affiliate.

Why are they doing this?

It's not necessarily because they've done their homework about breast cancer charities and have determined that they are better stewards of your donations than other charities.

And it's not because breast cancer is a more important issue than hunger, poverty, or early-childhood education.

It's because -- you guessed it -- it makes them money.

The more you know ...

In the wake of the still-very-fresh domestic violence scandal surrounding former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, the NFL says it plans to go all-in on its annual October homage to pink, according to USA Today.

And while the first October game isn't until Thursday, we're already seeing the first signs of the NFL's never-subtle Breast Cancer Awareness efforts.

We'll be watching to see what, if any, backlash the NFL faces this year.

And we'd love to see any examples of pink-related NFL efforts that seem as though they should be flagged as excessive.

#rethinkpink nfl

Hooters Dispenses Advice -- and Absolution -- All in the Name of Awareness

Some sage advice for women from Hooters about breast cancer:

"Take it from a Hooters Girl— there’s no such thing as getting checked out too often!"

This tip is one of five the restaurant chain offers to women as part of its Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, which also includes a contest and a chance for men to feel better about purchasing the 2015 Hooters Calendar. After all, they're giving $1 from the $14.95 sale price to the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Ogle away without guilt, gentlemen. You're supporting Breast Cancer Awareness.

#rethinkpink SupportOurHooters Hooters

Muscle and Misogyny: A Misguided Cause-Marketing Marriage

WWE is one of the first -- and highest-profile -- brands to unveil its 2014 Breast Cancer Awareness Month effort.

Fans can buy pink-themed merchandise now through December 31 and 20 percent of the retail price will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. As an added touch, its "Superstars and Divas" will also be wearing pink ring gear.

The fact that 20 percent of the sale proceeds will go to Susan G. Komen is the good news. The bad news is that 80 percent of the sales go elsewhere -- and we can assume that at least some of it will go into the pockets of Vince McMahon.

To give McMahon the benefit of the doubt, we will say that he and his business have had a spotty track record in terms of how they portray women.

Don't believe us? Watch this video and judge for yourself.

The Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation is encouraging supporters to petition Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to change their logos in October.

Clever. But also a lot of potentially wasted effort.

#rethinkpink

Pink Gone Wild

Let's start this discussion with a disclaimer: breast cancer is a horrible disease.

Charities that are promoting early-detection efforts and are supporting research are doing important and necessary work. And in the three decades since the founding of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, these charities have made tremendous strides in saving lives and advancing research.

But they have also allowed Breast Cancer Awareness Month to grow into a monster that represents everything that is wrong with modern charity.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is no longer just about raising awareness. It has also become a symbol of how self-interested companies, politicians, and celebrities are using charity to line their pockets and win your sympathy.

We can do better.

This blog is our effort to spotlight some of the most egregious examples of awareness efforts gone wild.

We invite you to share your own examples -- through this blog and through the hashtag #rethinkpink

It's time to Rethink Pink.

#breast cancer #rethinkpink

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