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Has your Facebook feed exploded with female friends, acquaintances, and co-workers describing where and how they "like it"? Well, the 'I like it' campaign is this year's Breast Cancer Awareness Month viral campaign---unfortunately.
If you haven't yet been made aware, all you have to do is write where you like to put your purse. So you might see several ladies updating their status with these possibilities and more: on the floor, on the bench, up against the wall, on the couch, on the bar, and in the closet. Here is the original message that was circling the web yesterday:
Remember the game last year about what color bra you were wearing at the moment? The purpose was to increase awareness of October Breast CancerAwareness month. It was a tremendous success and we had men wondering for days what was with the colors and it made it to the news. This year’s game has to do with your handbag/purse, where we put our handbag the moment we get home [sic] for example “I like it on the couch”, “I like it on the kitchen counter”, “I like it on the dresser” well u get the idea. Just put your answer as your status with nothing more than that and cut n paste this message and forward to all your FB female friends to their inbox. The bra game made it to the news. Let’s see how powerful we women really are!!!”
Easy enough, no? But what does this viral campaign really do?
All it seems to create is a hubbub for the males in these women's lives. Here are some responses (from guys) I found in my own feed:
"Ok, is it talk about where you like it day?"
"I missed something, clearly"
"Should I think what I want to or just wait for every female friend of mine to let all the males in on the secret? I'll go with option A"
and finally a gem:
"I just like putting my hand in it".
Yeah, keeping the men clueless through sexual innuendo, that's so powerful fellow sistren! This is just as powerful as when Hilary decided to run for President---not.
As someone who has had a lump scare in the past and has lost 6 friends and family members to Breast Cancer I think it is completely ludicrous and disrespectful to use sexual innuendo as 'activism'. And what is with using purses as the secret Breast Cancer item of the year? What do purses have to do with Breast Cancer exactly? Except that women are more affected by Breast Cancer than men, but hello, men have also died from Breast Cancer!
Sure, I agree... a campaign (especially a viral campaign) needs a hook; it needs to be eye-catching and fun. But this goes beyond fun and seems to only pander to the male gaze. Breast Cancer is more than loosing 'ta-tas' as many t-shirts seem to call them nowadays. We're also loosing a person!
Check out these other great links : The Frisky and Salon
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