I Love Boobies - The controversy

[kenny]

We've all seen the pink ribbon used for breast cancer awareness.
Now they are selling a bracelet with proceeds going to breast cancer awareness programs.

They chose the clever phrase, "I love boobies".
Clever, as in controversy generates media exposure (aka free advertising) which increases sales and funds for a good cause.
IMHO, more kids will buy them because of the "slightly naughty" term.

They have caught on as a fad and are being worn by adolescent girls (and maybe boys).
Schools are concerned the term boobie is not appropriate and are banning the bracelets.

Story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38988752/

Here is a video about the controversy... http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/09/17/ut.boobies.bracelet.ban.kstu?hpt=C2

Do you think these are too racy and should be banned by schools or not?
(Please ignore that fact that I am a man posting this; Besides, I'm not even the type of guy who goes to Hooters.)

 

[kenny]

Re: I Love Boobies - Controversy

I just thought of another aspect.
If Hooter-going men (or adolescent boys) buy them that's just more money for a very good cause.

What's wrong with using the sexual attraction aspect to benefit a good cause?

 

[somethingshiny]

Gosh, my 4 yr old claims he loves boobies! If the term "t!ts" was being used, I could see the offense, but "boobies" is an acceptable term I think. I don't think they should be banned in any way. Does "boobies" have a sexual connotation, sure. But, if they're going to outlaw anything "sexual," they may no longer talk about abstinence, birth control, reproduction, menstrual cycles, etc.

Personally, I like the "save the ta-tas!" shirt.

 

[Arkteia]

I think it is stupid hypocrisy! I know parents whose kids have been sexually active for two years, and the parents are still concerned that their child may have "inapporpriate conversations with this boy".
But if "boobies" is a no-no, how about "I love booties" bracelet? This is appropriate, and kids can read between the lines. And saying "I like your boots" to a girl would sound perfectly legit to parents and teachers.

 

[radiantquest]

Gosh, my 4 yr old claims he loves boobies! If the term "t!ts" was being used, I could see the offense, but "boobies" is an acceptable term I think. I don't think they should be banned in any way. Does "boobies" have a sexual connotation, sure. But, if they're going to outlaw anything "sexual," they may no longer talk about abstinence, birth control, reproduction, menstrual cycles, etc.

Personally, I like the "save the ta-tas!" shirt.

Exactly. Boobies is not an offensive word its just a little more fun than breasts.

 

[annadragon]

I love to see this catching on! When I did breast cancer research I would tell people I met, that inevitably asked, "what do you do?" that, "I save the ta-ta's!" Some people looked at me quizzically and others found it amusing. Eventually, I wound up making a gesture to indicate what I meant by "ta-ta's" when I would tell people.

I think this is fantastic marketing for a great cause!

 

[Autumnovember]

I personally don't think its that big of a deal to have that word on there. I've seen a lot of high schoolers wearing them both boys and girls and I honestly had absolutely no idea what it REALLY meant until this post. They have events in my area (not sure if it is all over the US) that they have named "Save the TaTa's" that raises money for breast cancer. One thing that really bothered me for some reason was when people on Facebook were writing the color of their bra's on their status, for "breast cancer awareness"... I just thought it was really really stupid.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

What do people have against birds?

 

[risingsun]

I find this campaign offensive. My mother died from metastic breast cancer. I have recently gone through extensive testing to determine if a spot on my mammogram was malignant or not. It was not. Although some adolescents may be mature enough to understand the meaning of the bracelets, I would hazard a guess that many will not. I could easily become a joke. There is nothing humorous about this disease. If they want to educate this age group, there is a better way to do it. This, IMO, trivializes a disease and its victims, who deserve respect and compassion.

 

[risingsun]

double post...

 

[Nashville]

We have 2 breast cancer survivors in my family who love the campaigns, especially "Save the Ta-Ta's!" We have participated in walks and made the ribbon cookies, and the people are inspiring and uplifting.

Sometimes earnest and scary things need a funny spin. And if it gets more people to pay attention and DONATE, I'm all for it. As far as the word "Boobies" being offensive, I just don't get it... are we really that prudish as a society?

 

[davi_el_mejor]

I find this campaign offensive. My mother died from metastic breast cancer. I have recently gone through extensive testing to determine if a spot on my mammogram was malignant or not. It was not. Although some adolescents may be mature enough to understand the meaning of the bracelets, I would hazard a guess that many will not. I could easily become a joke. There is nothing humoros about this disease. If they want to educate this age group, there is a better way to do it. This, IMO, trivializes a disease and its victims, which deserve respect and compassion.

I am sorry to hear about your mother, my sincerest sympathy goes to you and your family.

My grandmother is a survivor, after a mastectomy, chemo and radiation she has been clean for 15 years. My Great Aunt is currently battling breast cancer that has spread to her lungs. She initially had a double mastectomy as it was caught far too late. She went through 6 months of chemo and radiation, only to learn 3 months later it had reappeared and was aggressively ravaging nearby organs. She has stopped treatment for the cancer. She is living her life and enjoying every moment.

I think any exposure to a possibly life saving message is good exposure. If one teenage boy asks his mother what the bracelet means, that's good enough reason to cater to their generation.

Again, I'm truly sorry to hear about your mother. I worry about my mother and ask her once a year on her birthday if she's had her mammogram.

 

[Haven]

I wouldn't want my high school students to wear these bracelets because they are sure to be a distraction, and would thus interfere with the quality of their education. I imagine some students are mature enough to see the bracelet and keep on learning, but most are likely to react and focus on the bracelet instead of the class. If we drive our decisions based on what will best promote student success, as I believe we should, then something like this should be banned. (If you've never taught adolescents, and you're about to write that you don't think these would become a distraction, well--you've CLEARLY never taught adolescents! )

Now, I don't really feel like it matters whether *I* believe this campaign to be offensive or not because *I* have not experienced breast cancer. (I feel the same way about the controversy surrounding Chief Illiniwek at U of I. I am not a Native American, so it doesn't matter if I think Native Americans should or should not be offended by the Chief. All that matters is that Native Americans DO find it offensive, and therefore the Chief is offensive. Period.)

My aunt had breast cancer. She lost her mother to breast cancer. If she found this offensive, it certainly isn't anyone else's place to tell her to lighten up. And if she didn't find it offensive, yet other people who have had or have breast cancer do, then they're entitled to that feeling and it isn't anyone's business to question it.

All that being said, I have a shirt from a U of I Relay for Life event several years ago. I imagine people may find it offensive, but that doesn't stop me from wearing it. It reads "Cuck Fancer" on the front (a play on the Muck Fichigan shirts) and the back reads "Oncogenes are whores." I have personal experience with cancer that I don't feel like sharing, and the shirt makes me feel good in a rage against the disease sort of way. I only wear it when I'm running or biking or doing some sort of physical activity in my neighborhood, I don't wear it to the gym or any other spaces.

 

[ksinger]

It's not a matter of being prudish, although we are as a society in the US. It's actually a matter of being crass and how much of it we want to tolerate. I guess tolerance is supposed to be the thing, but much of what I see called tolerance, is just apathy. People don't want to have to take a stand, draw and line in the sand, and actually say, "That's crass, and it won't be tolerated HERE." Negative judgement, and we can't have that. Everyone must tolerate everything - because we have no real societal standards anymore.

I'll speak to this from the standpoint of the schools, since the question was posed. IMO, the schools should ban this (but probably won't because they're too busy enforcing no gang-color clothes/logos). We complain from second to second about 'the schools' and all they don't do to create upright, educated, blah blah blah. But when the school tries to raise the level of behavior and discourse, they are criticized. I mean in some homes it is nothing to use the F-word every other word. So why not allow it at school? I mean, aren't we being intolerant? It's just a word after all, and hurts no one, right? (How about "Don't trust your next **** to luck: use a condom." Hey man, public service announcement. It'll do good by preventing pregnancy or AIDS, so we should put up with it.)

The fact is, the line MUST be drawn somwhere. Better to err on the side of class and prudishness in my book. There's plenty of time to be crude later, or in private. And if someone is telling me that the only way that we can raise awareness of breast cancer is through mild (or maybe next time not so mild?) shock value words, I don't agree at all. How many people actually don't know what the pink ribbon means? You're telling me that the marketing geniuses can't come up with a memorable slogan that isn't some level of crude? They can, but they lack imagination or are just too lazy to take a higher road.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

While I am not offended by the campaign in and of itself, I do not think that it's appropriate for tweens/teens to wear the items in question simply because they are likely not aware of how serious breast cancer is. To many in that age group breasts, boobies and ta-tas are seen only as sexual playthings and are not seen in any other light so I see Haven's point that it would be distracting in a learning environment.

 

[kenny]

IMHO, you are wasting your time trying to turn the calendar back to 1955; why not take advantage of how things are here in 2010?
The point is to raise maximum funds for a good cause and what is naughty is what sells.
They wanted what was considered naughty back in 1955 too.
Since teens want what they are not supposed to have, so why not ride that horse in the direction it's going?
Brilliant way to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer.

I love mammary glands bracelets won't sell.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

IMHO, you are wasting your time trying to turn the calendar back to 1955; why not take advantage of how things are here in 2010?
The point is to raise maximum funds for a good cause and what is naughty is what sells.


I love mammary glands bracelets won't sell.

"Help fight mammary ductal carcinoma" won't fit on a bracelet either.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

While I am not offended by the campaign in and of itself, I do not think that it's appropriate for tweens/teens to wear the items in question simply because they are likely not aware of how serious breast cancer is. To many in that age group breasts, boobies and ta-tas are seen only as sexual playthings and are not seen in any other light so I see Haven's point that it would be distracting in a learning environment.

But if one child can enlighten another child about breast health, that could mean one more life saved, or one more case of early detection.

 

[ksinger]

IMHO, you are wasting your time trying to turn the calendar back to 1955; why not take advantage of how things are here in 2010?
The point is to raise maximum funds for a good cause and what is naughty is what sells.
Teens want what they are not supposed to have, so why not ride that horse in the direction it's going?


I love mammary glands bracelets won't sell.

Great. Buy them all day. Raise funds by any means that appeals to the prurient interest. It's 2010 and we're all hip here and only interested in ends, not those pesky 1955 means.

But in my book, you don't get to wear them to school. Sorry. If the schools can (and DO) ban certain gang-color combinations then they should be able to ban those without too much pushback.

 

[Haven]

Teens will buy anything that is deemed "in" or "cool" or whatever you want to call it.

The cool must-have bracelets used to be Lance Armstrong's yellow Livestrong bracelets, and those certainly didn't say "I love balls." I'm just sayin'.

ETA: Lance Armstrong had testicular cancer. I was assuming that was general knowledge when I made this post, but I'm a huge cycling fan so I'm not sure non-fans are aware of the type of cancer he had.

 

[kenny]

It's not only women's chests being exploited for a cause.
Here are some gratuitous cancer awareness-raising beefcake moobies from rugby and football stars ...

http://towleroad.typepad.com/towleroad/2006/05/ben_cohen_strip.html

I have no objection to using racy stuff like this if it catches eyeballs and helps save lives.

 

[ksinger]

Teens will buy anything that is deemed "in" or "cool" or whatever you want to call it.

The cool must-have bracelets used to be Lance Armstrong's yellow Livestrong bracelets, and those certainly didn't say "I love balls." I'm just sayin'.

ETA: Lance Armstrong had testicular cancer. I was assuming that was general knowledge when I made this post, but I'm a huge cycling fan so I'm not sure non-fans are aware of the type of cancer he had.

Yes to this.

I have a friend at work, NOT a teen (he's 53), and because he's hugely into cycling (does one in Waco each year called the "Hotter'n Hell 100) he still wears that bracelet, even though it's no longer "cool".

 

[doodle]

I have a HUGE family comprised primarily of women, and out of those dozens of women, there are I think three who don't have breast implants because they had to have mastectomies at some point. For this reason, I've never really gotten the whole save-the-tata's slogan in the first place, and I know that there are many cancer survivors out there who think it's hurtful and in poor taste. As far as these bracelets go, I don't think they're the best for raising cancer awareness because it's just too easy for people to wear them for humor, thus the significance is lost altogether. I think it's fantastic that the campaign is trying to make it an acceptable conversation, and in the past, breast cancer HAS been a touchy subject partially because of the stigma of discussing breasts in general, so good for them for striving to find a way to open up a dialogue. I just feel they may have missed the mark on this one.

 

[risingsun]

I find this campaign offensive. My mother died from metastic breast cancer. I have recently gone through extensive testing to determine if a spot on my mammogram was malignant or not. It was not. Although some adolescents may be mature enough to understand the meaning of the bracelets, I would hazard a guess that many will not. I could easily become a joke. There is nothing humoros about this disease. If they want to educate this age group, there is a better way to do it. This, IMO, trivializes a disease and its victims, which deserve respect and compassion.

I am sorry to hear about your mother, my sincerest sympathy goes to you and your family.

My grandmother is a survivor, after a mastectomy, chemo and radiation she has been clean for 15 years. My Great Aunt is currently battling breast cancer that has spread to her lungs. She initially had a double mastectomy as it was caught far too late. She went through 6 months of chemo and radiation, only to learn 3 months later it had reappeared and was aggressively ravaging nearby organs. She has stopped treatment for the cancer. She is living her life and enjoying every moment.

I think any exposure to a possibly life saving message is good exposure. If one teenage boy asks his mother what the bracelet means, that's good enough reason to cater to their generation.

Again, I'm truly sorry to hear about your mother. I worry about my mother and ask her once a year on her birthday if she's had her mammogram.

I am sorry to hear about the history of breast cancer in your family. I can understand why your Great Aunt made the decision to stop treatment. Sometimes, enough is enough. I wish you and your family well.

 

[somethingshiny]

I'm sorry to those who are offended by the campaign, but the fact is it HAS raised awareness, funds and conversation. In my book, that's a huge win. I don't care if some boy giggles when he says "boobies." He's gonna say it anyway and if BC research got his dollar first--great!

Haven~ thanks for the clarification, I was wondering about the "balls" slogan at first. But, I'd also have no problem with that on a bracelet.

If teachers honestly find it hard to teach with these bracelets in the class room, then why don't they just hand out detentions? Punish the child who can't behave, not all the kids or the campaign.

 

[risingsun]

If you want to raise awareness among teens, show them something concrete. Arrange for a tour a breast center, when no patients are present. Take them through the experience. Show them the equipment. Show them the room where the woman waits, alone, to find out the results of her test. Explain how the radiologist sometimes asks for additional pictures. Demonstrate what it's like when the doctor, rather than the nurse, comes back to talk to the patient. This is the reality of breast cancer. Not a bracelet on your wrist, which talks about boobies. Is this too drastic? I don't know. What I do know is that the bracelet means nothing without the education. "Help stop breast cancer," on a bracelet, is a more respectful way of expressing this goal. Understanding this disease is a must.

 

[packrat]

If it raises awareness, that's fabulous..I have a tendency to think tho, that the vast majority of the young boys sporting them, would just shrug and say "Dunno, cancer or sumthin..whatever, it says boobies. hehehe" if asked what the bracelet is for. They're not wearing things that say "Real Men Wear Pink"..my guess is b/c it doesn't say boobies. It kinda makes me think, along the lines of I Love Balls..I Love Vajayjays or something. (Boobies doesn't make me cringe as much however). The others make me feel like I'm chewing on tinfoil. In some ways it reduces something that is a HUGE deal into a juvenile Beavis and Butthead laugh.

As far as wearing the things in school..I'm kinda on the fence about that. If it's causing a disruption, it would tick me off as a teacher. I remember being in Jr. High, and that would've been a disruption b/c everyone is pretty immature at that age, you know? High school..I think the kids *should* be able to put a sock in it. But if they're not..I don't know which way to go. I was allowed to wear disruptive things in High School-but I wasn't walking around making a big deal about it-it was the other kids "Oooo lookit what Missi's wearing oooo lookit that psst pssst whisper whisper". I never got in trouble, but I did alter things a tad so I didn't have to change. The ones that raised a fuss about it were the ones that were told to settle down.

My Aunt is a survivor, and my Gramma lost her sister to breast cancer.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Many of my high school boys and girls wear these. To be honest, until reading this post I didn't think they had anything to do with breast cancer awareness... I thought they were related to a line from a cheesy comedy (Role Models? I think?) in which a little boy says, "I. Like. Boobies."

ANYWAY- the bracelets don't seem to distract anyone. I don't think they're very controversial, either. It would be worse if they said, "I love tits." Boobies is just a silly word, imho. What's wrong with a little boobie love?

 

[Arkteia]

I do not think these kids are not mature enough to understand the seriousness of breast cancer campaign. Same with Relay for Life. I remember how my son and all his friends were making cookies and collecting money. It was their first year at the U, they were 18 or 19, just one year after graduation. If an 18-year-old student can understand the seriousness of the problem, why can't a 17-year old high school senior? And there is nothing wrong in making these bracelets more fun, after all, pink ribbons were also made in an attempt to draw more attention to the cause and to raise more money.

 

[kenny]

What I do know is that the bracelet means nothing without the education.

Raising important funds is not nothing.
The racy phrase sells more bracelets, which raises more funds.