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Boobs, knockers, hooters, funbags, ta-tas -- we've got plenty of silly nicknames for the leading ladies in our lives. But apparently, when it comes to a serious issue like breast cancer awareness, not all monikers for the good ol' chesticles are well received.Last weekend we shared the details on our "Save the Ta-tas" T-shirt design contest -- but we totally didn't expect backlash that ensued. What's so controversial about saving boobs, right?
Apparently a lot, at least when your campaign involves saving "ta-tas," a term that a couple of readers found was plain "demoralizing and insulting" in the context of a serious disease.
"I'm tired off all the inappropriate slogans like 'save the ta-tas,' 'feel your boobies,' 'save second base,' and 'save a life, grope your wife,'" says Erin. "They make me sick ... The MAIN point behind breast cancer awareness should be to save LIVES, not 'boobies'."
Our thinking is more in line with reader Jeff's: "People notice and support catchy slogans like "Save the Ta-tas" when they would probably overlook more generic 'Help End Breast Cancer'-type T-shirts," he says. The active nonprofit fundraiser also notes, "When something makes me smile or I find it cute as well as acceptable, that is the way to generate funds." And ultimately, raising money and awareness is the goal, right?
The argument's not over yet ...
B wilson, whose sister passed away from breast cancer, says straight up: "I hate this shirt! It is saying that saving breasts is more important than the life they are attached to. Slogans like this are just as ignorant as the people that choose to wear them!"PeggySue insists that "referring to an immature term for 'men's playthings'" takes the focus off saving lives. She throws in some slogan suggestions for men's colon cancer ("save the assholes!") and testicular cancer ("happy squirrels have healthy nuts"), adding: "Not so funny when we take the seriousness out of a horrible disease for a man, now is it?"
Actually, yes, we think it is. Is there a T-shirt printer out there taking this down? We have our wallets open ...
Seriously speaking though, is boob wordplay really so inappropriate? How do patients get through that life-changing an illness without the ability to take a pun alongside the pain?
Breast cancer survivor Jo Anne puts it simply: You can't. "I seriously doubt I would have made it. Through the removal of both breasts, reconstruction surgery, six months of chemo and more reconstruction surgery, my sense of humor kept me going."
Tell us what you think: Is using the term "ta-tas" totally insensitive and a disrespectful way of rallying attention around a serious cause? Or is it OK to encourage fighting the fight with a little tongue-in-cheek humor?
Remember, you can still enter your design for our breast cancer awareness T-shirt contest by Thursday, October 30! See full contest details here.
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Tuesday 27 October
By Starling
I'm a 26-year-old breast cancer survivor, and I'm with Jo Anne on this one. I went through two surgeries and and rounds and rounds of treatments and medication, and I'll tell you what: without a sense of humor, there's no way I would have survived. I have a "save the ta-tas" shirt. I have a "feel your boobies" bumper sticker. And I'm of the opinion that any effort to raise awareness of breast cancer and to promote the fight against it is a good thing. Referring to my breasts as 'ta-tas' isn't immature, nor does it make breast cancer any less serious. Sure, breasts themselves aren't as important as the lives they are attached to, and breasts can be reconstructed and replaced if desired, where a person cannot. But you know what? Making people more aware of breast cancer can save lives. Know what may have saved my life? When my boyfriend was feeling me up one night as we were making out. He felt something out of the ordinary, and I had it checked out.
Humorous slogans are more memorable and more personable than the other morbid, bland, and boring slogans out there. And it's worth is if just one woman out there says "hey, 'feel your boobies', I like that" and then pays attention next time she's soaping up and catches a lump in her breast and brings it up with her doctor. These phrases and shirts aren't meant to make a terrible thing trivial, but maybe they can lighten the mood of someone suffering from an awful disease, or make someone else think of a loved one they've lost and smile.
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Saturday 18 September
By Miranda
Starling... BRAVO!! Honestly I think that your statement AMAZING!! Im writing a argumentative paper on the save the ta-ta's and I love boobies campaign and can NOT believe that they are banning these bracelets from schools!!
I aslo have to agree with Caitlin "without the injection of younger humor, I don't think that nearly as many t-shirts would have sold. Not only that, but it would've been pretty difficult to get 5000 20-year-old college guys to sport a pink shirt that said "Get a mammogram."
Younger generations are being affected by this disease too... so anything that gets the message across... is okay with me!!
Tuesday 27 October
By Amy
My mom had breast cancer, and I know she liked to have a sense of humor about it, and she would have liked those shirts. However, she died from it, and I do feel like breast cancer awareness marketing is really insensitive to people who have lost loved ones to breast cancer. I have less of a problem with the "save the ta-tas" thing than I do the propoganda about winning the battle against cancer because you really want to. As though people that die from it are just big losers who didn't try hard enough. I know they are trying to send a possitive message but it kind of leaves some people in the dust. I can see how someone would feel the same way about the tee shirts. They do sort of leave out the whole life-threatening aspect.
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Saturday 06 March
By n shish
i am sorry you lost your mom. I survived but my neighbor didn't . We had two types of Breast Cancer. Quick and slow, My children were 1 and 3 when I was sick. My neighbor at age 40 had a 20 hr old and a new born..
You just can't tell what will happen. I just feel that a slogan of "Save your Mom, Your Wife- Your Loved one " would be better. Anyway, I feel your loss because it could be me ..... Remember God Loves YOU
Tuesday 27 October
By Caitlin
Catchy and humorous slogans only help to further the cause. I proudly wear my breast cancer awareness t-shirts that say "Save second base" and "Save the ta-tas." Both of these shirts were sold on my college campus, and without the injection of younger humor, I don't think that nearly as many t-shirts would have sold. Not only that, but it would've been pretty difficult to get 5000 20-year-old college guys to sport a pink shirt that said "Get a mammogram." I'm all for whatever it takes to get women thinking about the serious issue of breast cancer--even having my girls referred to as ta-tas.
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Wednesday 28 October
By Maria
I don't know what all these other women are complaining about. having gone myself through breast cancer I can honestly say that it is thanks to mine and my support groups good humor, I would't have been able to make it though all of those terrible treatments. Yes it is a very serious disease but having humor towards it makes it a bit easier to handle and get through. It also helps to bring awareness to those who still are not well aware of this condition. So I say bringon the humor and save the Ta Tas and the assholes too. See it brought your attention didn't it.
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Tuesday 27 October
By Rebecca
I am a breast cancer survivor and I have absolutely no issue with the multitude of catch phrases out there to draw attention to breast cancer and fundraising for the cause. In no way are these phrases intended to belittle the cause, or as many people seem to mention, the lives attached to the ta-tas, the boobies, whatever your term of endearment may be. I used humor to get myself through my battle....and I met many people along the way who were uncomfortable with my approach. Laughter is indeed the best medicine!!! I intend to continue laughing about my ta-tas/boobies, etc. and I will also do everything I can to save them for every woman out there.
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Tuesday 27 October
By Tessa
I think that anything that raising awareness or the all important funds needed can't be a bad thing. If 'save the ta-tas' actually helps cure breast cancer, then bring it on. Are we so close to winning this fight that we can afford to be furious at people who are just trying to help raise funds and awareness? The advertising world has proven time and again that both catchy slogans related to sex/sexualization/sexiness sells and gets remembered. I want breast cancer to be thought about more often than during National Breast Cancer awareness month. I want both men and women to shell out cash for research. And I will take it any way I can get it.
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Wednesday 28 October
By sue
I'm a nurse and my sister is currently battling breast cancer. We do not find "save the ta ta's" to be offensive-we look at it as another way to bring awareness to the community. You can't even imagine how many people stop and stare at my sisters bald head...it's a mix of ignorance and curiosity. If attention is already being drawn to the women affected, why not give people something to really talk about...like breast exams...mammograms. Save the ta ta's does not mean save the breasts and let the women die of cancer. It means early detection saves lives...and yes.. for those of you who must prove a point...it will save the ta ta's!
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Wednesday 28 October
By Gin
I'll echo those who said that if it's raising money and awareness, it can't be all bad.
I cringe when I see "save the ta-tas" and "bowling for boobies" but I think cancer reasearch is important enough that the end justifies the means.
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Wednesday 24 February
By matt rogers
so anything offensive towards women is ok, as long as money is being made and awareness. How about all the other diseases that are not warranted these oh so clever slogans. I thought we were supposed to be respectful towards women and not treat them like sex objects.
Wednesday 28 October
By chi.townshark
Personally I do not care if you call them boobs ta-tas or breasts. My mother, on the other hand, does. She is a cancer survivor and does not consider what has been taken away from her a joke. She is a funny person, always with a smile and a laugh. Nevertheless, the sacrifice of a part of yourself to save the whole is no laughing matter. Women of her generation worked so hard to make the world understand that such derogatory terms are diminishing to women. Therefore, in this case, by using diminishing terms you diminish the loss.
Notably, there are no "save the wang" slogans for prostate cancer because everyone knows how we need to be reverant to men and their bodies no one wants to make them feel uncomfortable so they do not get check ups. Older females need that same comfort and using terms that we know make them uncormfortable alienates them.
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Wednesday 28 October
By flatzo.
Any mention of breasts in a silly way reminds me of highschool, which reminds me of horrible pain and rejection, which makes me a little sad.
But, I'm not going to be a total jerk and get all grumpy about it. Besides, we need to save the tatas, and that's worth a few bad feelings.
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Wednesday 28 October
By carah y watkins
i think that shirts like this are there to raise aweness not to offend, and people get offended about everything anyways so i'm a bit beyonf worrying about not doing something that will make people laugh and think about breast cancer a little more, just so some asshole won't get offended. (and the whole "happy squirrles have healthy nuts" is amazing! they should really print that I totally have the picture of this little squirrel like the one that was on this one episode of American Dad in my head.)
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Thursday 29 October
By JDV
I just have to wonder at all the calls to raise awareness. Is there really anyone in the modern world who isn't "aware" of breast cancer by now? You can't go anywhere without being assaulted by the pink conglomeration. It's become such a huge moneymaker that I'm having a hard time finding decent cancer charities that actually use their funds for finding a cure. And yes, my immediate family has suffered lost lives to cancer before anyone starts berating me for having an opinion.
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Thursday 29 October
By JDV
And now for my non-ranty answer: humor is subjective. You won't please everyone!
Sunday 01 November
By Constantina Sloffer
As a bilateral mastectomy/reconstructed lymphedema living beast cancer surviving "Save the Ta-TA's" supporter... HUMOR, Laughter, ANYTHING to bring attention to this very deadly, life altering disease for women of all ages I'm all for it. If husbands find it, so be it. If women start to do their monthly self-breast exams because of "boob-lube" great. Any way we can get the word out to start saving lives is all right with me.
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Monday 02 November
By nobody
First of all, its misogynistic. Breast cancer doesn't kill boobs whose only purpose is to have someone stick their dick in between, breast cancer kills women. It is lowering a life-threatening disease down to a level of a fetish; don't help people keep their lives, help preserve your own sexual fetishes.
Secondly, its misandric. This bullshit is directed towards men, not women, and its like saying, "Hey, guys- we know you all are too selfish to care about other people for who they are, too stupid to recognize cancer for what it is, and too obsessed with sex to pay attention, so care about breast cancer because you want boobs."
This is like telling children they have to make their room or they can't play, instead of cleanliness. Men are adults, they have fully developed minds; there's no reason you have to dumb everything down for them.
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Thursday 19 November
By nevermind
first of all about 80% of the people reading this don't know what misogynistic or misandric mean and yes, men are that dumb, even if they are adults,
you must be a man to think they are smarter then thinking about the sex end of breast cancer, they only think of how their women look without them
Thursday 05 November
By Jessica
Since when was the ONLY purpose of boobs "to stick a dick in between them"....there's a little more purpose to them than that....in my opinion.