- Pfizer recalls ThermaCare HeatWraps menstrual product for safety concerns.
- October 3-9 is National Midwifery Week.
- Several good articles about pinkwashing and the monetization of breast cancer:
- Esther Steinfeld says Stop Using Our Diseases to Sell Your Products.
- Laurie Ruettimann criticizes pinkwashing and talks about the kind of health care awareness breast cancer really needs.
- Laura Sells takes on that meme on Facebook: I like it without pinkwashing.
- And Think Before You Pink has started their own blog.
- Harry Finley and his awesome Museum of Menstruation are featured at Amanda Hess’ blog.
fyi first link is not working.
I agree with what Esther Steinfeld wrote in her post “Stop Using Our Diseases to Sell Your Products.” It’s obnoxious how high-end designers are having their stores say that they’re all for helping breast cancer research. Meanwhile, what they’re really doing is just trying to increase their sales, and they’re using the month of October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) to take advantage of peoples’ goodness or even guilt. If the retailer really cared, the site would list critical information about percentage of purchase that gets donated and when the donation is made. Another idea would be for the retailer to sell a dedicated “pink” item – something that’s less expensive so more people would purchase it. This would show that the retailer isn’t just robbing you by getting you to buy pink items that have been in stock forever. It would be interesting to see how many companies would be willing to try this – make an inexpensive product whose profit would just be for breast cancer research – and see if they would actually follow through. In this case, it’s a shame that a company is using such a personal women’s issue which is deadly, just to benefit themselves.
I am taking a Menstruation class in college, and I would really like to see what everyone else thinks about this company and the way it’s marketing breast cancer.