A group of Arizona high school cheerleaders thought they were doing the right thing when they decided to promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the importance of self examination to detect breast cancer. Boy, were they wrong.
The junior varsity and varsity cheerleaders at Gilbert High School in Gilbert, AZ, purchased 56 pink t-shirts with the slogan, "Feel for Lumps, Save Your Bumps" on the back and "Gilbert Cheer" printed on the front. They had planned on wearing the t-shirts to football games and had hoped to encourage fans to donate to breast cancer awareness. The money they raised was to go to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. Then they got the bad news; the school administrators threatened severe consequences if the shirts were worn to the games. According to a statement given to the Arizona Republic, Principal J. Charles Santa Cruz said, "In no way is the school administration against Breast Cancer Awareness Month or initiatives students might take in support of it; we just want to make sure we're in the bounds of appropriate boundaries of a school setting." Despite the national criticism he has garnered, Cruz is not swaying from his mandate and he has offered the cheerleaders an alternative way to promote their cause. They could wear plain pink t-shirts which he deems more appropriate for high school teens or face suspension if they wear the original ones with the slogan.
The president of the cheer booster club, Gaylee Skowronek, also commented to the Arizona Republic saying the school's administrator approved the plans the squad had devised to raise money but the school's principal, J. Charles Santa Cruz, then banned the slogan on the t-shirts and refused to allow the girls to wear them to the football games.
Skowronek said, "We thought the shirt was age-appropriate. I think it’s hypocritical they would approve a fundraiser for breast-cancer research but they won’t approve a shirt to bring awareness to breast cancer." Also commenting was Varsity cheerleader, Ashley Burnau, who believes the whole issue has been blown out of proportion. The 16-year-old told the Arizona Republic, "All we want to do is support the cause and raise money for breast cancer research." "
Not to be deterred and set on defying Cruz, the cheerleaders have decided they will hand out the t-shirts to fans at the games in hopes they will wear them and show their support of the fight against breast cancer. The cheerleaders are also working on a national campaign to sell the shirts and raise money for The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that slogans promoting Breast Cancer Awareness Month have caused controversy in schools. Recently, schools across the country were banning bracelets from the advocacy group called Keep A Breast. The bracelets have "I <3 Boobies" on them. Although, in April, a federal judge in Pennsylvania upheld a public school student's right to wear the bracelets.
In a letter on the Keep A Breast Website they encourage parents to send the form to schools explaining why the are against the bracelet ban. In the letter it says: "Charaign Sesock, a spokeswoman for The American Cancer Society states, 'The "I Love Boobies!" campaign is targeting teen years and college ages so that they can empower themselves to be advocates for their own bodies. If you can start raising awareness early on, it will only benefit them as they grow older.'"
As with any issue, there are two opposing sides to the Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign. During the month of October you can find every kind of product from pink hats to pink wrist bands being worn by sport participants. The opposition has actually named this phenomenon "pinkwashing" and they feel like the campaign has become too cheerful and too pink.
CBS news quoted an 18-year old breast cancer survivor named Cynthia Ryan as saying, "The pink drives me nuts. It's the cheeriness I can't stand."
Groups like the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation do not apologize. "Research doesn't come cheap," said Leslie Aun, a spokesperson for Susan G. Komen to the Associated Press. She went on to say, "We need to raise money and we're not apologetic about it."
So, what are your thoughts? Has the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign become too "pink" and too commercialized? Or is the campaign doing everything it can to raise funds for research? Should words like boobs, lumps and bumps be filtered and banned? Aren't they exactly what breast cancer is all about?
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