the idea portal

ARTIST STATEMENT.

FUCK BREAST CANCER.

I’m sorry if the profanity might offend you, but I see no reason to censor a word that fully expresses how I and the many others feel about this life altering cancer. I do not have breast cancer, but unfortunately I have lost many loved ones to this disease. Over the years I have felt a sense of disconnection with the pink ribbon. We all know and are very aware that October is breast cancer awareness month. How could we NOT be aware? We are automatically drowning in a sea of pink that floods your local schools, malls, grocery stores, athletics, television, fast food chains, and ext. EVERYTHING turns into pink and as this color transition is happening, pink turns itself into an industry. It has evolved into such a marketing opportunity for big businesses over the years to the point where it makes a profit from our own ignorance, and our own pain. This is when we need to stop and peel back the pink sugar coating on breast cancer.

Don't get me wrong--the Susan Komen foundation and other organizations who use the pink ribbon as a tool to stimulate fund raising for research and support is wonderful. And I know there are women out there who see the pink ribbon as a source of strength and inspiration. So I don't want to take away from the power of the symbol for others.

But that’s not for me.

It has never been and never will be my go to source because I am unable to embrace that type of mentality. I’m just one of the many that feel this way too. That is exactly why I was driven to create the “fuck breast cancer” campaign. I did my research and found that no matter how many walks you participate in, how many pink Campbell soup cans you collect, how many times you fly on the pink delta airplane during October, how many pink buckets of chicken you consume, or how many pink hats and wigs you wear, at the end of the day women and men are still dieing from this disease.
I didn’t create this with any intention of censoring breast cancer with another colored ribbon. In fact, it was created to UNCENSOR the true reality of breast cancer and UNMASK the pink blind fold that we hold over our eyes. Because no specific color, or symbol will ever truly justify someone’s pain, especially when it is someone who is on the front lines battling breast cancer head on. FUCK BREAST CANCER is an outlet for that pain. It’s okay to be pissed off at this cancer, you should be. That’s why I’ve summed it up in three little words and a middle finger FUCK BREAST CANCER. This movement is not only an emotional outlet, but it brings a different awareness to the table. Fuck breast cancer awareness month is every month in my book. This movement strives to bring awareness on bigger issues that our society tends to be unaware of about breast cancer such as the different causes and treatments that can either increase or decrease your risk of developing this disease. FUCK BREAST CANCER also addresses an equal awareness to both genders. A woman might be more prone to developing breast cancer than a man; however, cancer doesn’t favor one gender over another when taking a life. Whether it’s your uncle, mom, grandma, dad, cousin, nephew—FUCK BREAST CANCER excludes no one.