by Chris Bodenner
Tracy Clark-Flory rolls her eyes at school administrators across the country who are banning rubber bracelets supporting breast cancer activism because they read, "I (heart) boobies":
But, you know what? I'm offended by the bracelets, too -- just for a very different reason.
A growing number of activist campaigns are attempting to raise awareness (and perhaps other things) by simplifying the fight against breast cancer as a fight to save breasts. Not people, but breasts. Of course the implication is that lives will also be saved, but "boobies" are treated as the real star of this show. There was the infamous "Save the Boobs" ad, with a pair of bouncing bikini-clad breasts; the Men for Women Now campaign, which features famous(ly fratty) male celebs waxing poetic about breasts; the push for women to reveal the color of their bra in a Facebook status update; and the Booby Wall -- just to name a few.
I've always found this approach to awareness-raising rather tasteless, but it wasn't until my mom was diagnosed with metastasized stage IV lung cancer that they became truly enraging. Not only are women reduced to their breasts, but men are reduced to their love for breasts -- as though they will only pay attention to the cause if presented with a pair of luscious, jiggling tits.