By request: Booberday
And there’s Twisty’s long running crazysexycancer ‘adventures’. Get yer boobie shot here.
Lauredhel has also been on this for years: “Bring breast awareness back to the workplaceâ€, Scrotes Oot F’t’ Lads!, More “Teehee! Boobies!†from the breast cancer awareness industry, Three Examples of Rape Culture in Nice Guy(tm) Breast Cancer Activism, Mount Franklin Breast Cancer ads. Let’s start a Brown Colon Cancer Awareness campaign.
Summary: you want to reduce incidence of and mortality from breast cancer? Consider funding and fundraising for research and evidence-based interventions. Want to remind the vast majority of women, especially breast cancer patients and survivors, that they aren’t sexy and compliant enough for your playground? Start a “save the tits” campaign today!
Update: there are multiple notes in Randall Munroe’s comments suggesting that Booberday wasn’t originally about breast cancer. I haven’t gone tracking the source of it, but if it’s true that dynamic is interesting. “Ew, sexist” followed by “it’s ok, it’s for breast cancer”, and when Munroe among others challenged that, back to “oh no, it’s just about boobs, so people who are or care about breast cancer patients and survivors can chill out!”
See also Sticking a pink ribbon on it doesn’t excuse “Booberday”.
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Qaoileann:
September 11th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I’m bookmarking this and coming back to it whenever the RAGE makes me inarticulate.
I <3'd my granny very much, and I'm very glad for the fifteen years she survived post-diagnosis, one-boobed and all.
nX:
September 11th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Excellent points and quotes.
antepathy:
September 11th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
Seconding above. Thank you for putting words to what has been my growing discomfort every time I see a student with a ‘save the boobies’ bracelet. Mostly young men, who think it’s funny.
I haven’t seen this on G+ but just the idea…!
Restructure!:
September 11th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
I also <3 my one-boobed granny.
Great post!
I also <3 Randall Munroe.
Ms. Sunlight:
September 11th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
I’ve seen the breast of my cancer-survivor mother, the breast she still has to put cream on a decade later because the scars become sore. You don’t see photos of breasts like that in these social networking memes.
I hate these stupid “awareness campaigns”, I feel they are not only an insult to my intelligence but personally upsetting and degrading. They sideline what my mum and our family as a whole went through. Thank you for saying this. For as long as this crap goes round the internet, we need people to keep saying this.
Mary:
September 11th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
Update in the OP: there are multiple notes in Randall Munroe’s comments suggesting that Booberday wasn’t originally about breast cancer. I haven’t gone tracking the source of it, but if it’s true that dynamic is interesting. “Ew, sexist†followed by “it’s ok, it’s for breast cancerâ€, and when Munroe among others challenged that, back to “oh no, it’s just about boobs, so people who are or care about breast cancer patients and survivors can chill out!â€
j fanavans:
September 12th, 2011 at 4:28 am
It went like this:
1. Boob posts are funny.
2. OMG this has become huge, lets use it for something good.
3. Wow, people are saying breast cancer is being used to cover booberday as a perversion.
4. OK lets make sure people understand that this started as a joke to kill off caterday.
It has been spun by those against it as breast cancer being used to apologize for boob posts. That’s rubbish. There is no apology for posting breasts.
Also, the FIRST booberday post was of a man’s breast, so to tie booberday to female sexuality exclusively is chauvinistic in the extreme.
Katie B:
September 12th, 2011 at 9:03 am
You have brought together a bunch of quotes that eloquently state what I’ve been saying for years! I’m not on G+ but I loathe the Facebook breast cancer memes. Thank you!
Bruce Byfield:
September 12th, 2011 at 11:50 am
My late wife had breast cancer, and I alternate between cringing and cursing when I come across things like Booberday. The whole attitude seems a denial of what cancer patients actually go through.
Quick hit: Booberday « Diary of a Messy Lady:
September 12th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
[...] Geek Feminism on various “save the boobies” campaigns and the sexualization of breast ca… [...]
Liminal states :: Booberday: Google+ and Diversity, part 7:
September 12th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
[...] – Mary, on Geek Feminism [...]
Mary:
September 12th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Just a note: this comment is from (as far as one can tell on the ‘net of course) the Booberbay originator, which is a major part of why it got approved. A reply seems reasonable in that case.
SA:
September 13th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
So, can you deconstruct the “boob posts are funny” thing? What’s funny about them? Who tends to think they are funny?
Can you respond to the comments that point out that a stream of pictures of (almost entirely women’s) breasts may have a chilling effect on women’s participation in a very male-heavy network?
Brat:
September 13th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Your facepalm-person looks much like my friend James… Is it? He does a wonderful facepalm.
Mary:
September 13th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
It’s this photo. http://www.flickr.com/photos/joelogon/2098848889/
J fanavans:
September 14th, 2011 at 4:11 am
Yes.
Q. What is funny about them?
A. What is funny depends on the individual image, many had witty lines associated with them. Others were of breasts (many not women’s) in situations that were unexpected or leading to bathos. I suggest you look at some of them.
Q. Who tend to think they are funny?
A. Women and men on Google plus. Some do, some do not. It is a subjective thing after all.
You ask me to comment on the ‘chilling effect.’ I should like to see evidence of this. I know, from facebook for example, that a plethora of sexualised post has not prevented women from joining.
More broadly, every post on every issue has the potential to exert a chilling effect on a certain group. For example, posts against abortion or pro abortion would alienate one group or the other.
Lastly, I note that some of the main proponents of the meme, I would guess at about 40% (greater than the ratio of people on G+) are female.
I know that it upsets some people. I’m sorry that it does. Posts about many things upset me. The spamming of my stream on various days with various topics upsets me. But to my mind, I would not invite censorship of a public space in order to avoid the upset. Especially when ignoring it is provided for by the platform itself.
I hope I’ve helped or clarified some stuff. Happy to explain more if need be.
Society for Menstrual Cycle Research : » Weekend Links:
September 17th, 2011 at 7:16 am
[...] meme online breast cancer “awareness” campaign; you can read an excellent summary of critical feminist responses at Geek Feminism, expressed most succinctly by Randall Munroe: The really frustrating thing about the “Save the [...]