Pink Ribbons, Inc.

When writer and social critic Barbara Ehrenreich was diagnosed with breast cancer, she became fascinated by “the breast cancer culture” and wanted to understand the phenomenon of pink ribbons.

Each year, 59,000 women in North America die from breast cancer. And each year, hundreds of thousands of women and men participate in corporate-sponsored fundraising events and campaigns that, while raising millions of dollars towards the cause, also market the brands that promote these events. In fact, breast cancer has become the poster child of “cause-marketing” which, as marketing guru Carol Cone explains, can do what “no promotion or no advertising can ever afford to create.”

Pink Ribbons, Inc., a feature documentary directed by Léa Pool and produced and executive produced by Ravida Din, looks at how the breast cancer movement has moved from activism to consumerism and challenges viewers to rethink their assumptions about the meaning of breast cancer in our society. Featuring in-depth interviews with an array of experts, authors, activists and medical professionals, Pink Ribbons, Inc. also includes the participation of the leading players in breast cancer fundraising and marketing.

The film visits the largest breast cancer fundraising and awareness events, including the Revlon Run/Walk for Women in New York, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C., the two-day Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in San Francisco and the Pharmaprix Weekend to End Women’s Cancers in Montreal. But as celebrations of “survivors,” is there room at these events for the women who are dying from the disease? “We’re living. We’re human beings. We’re not just a little pink ribbon,” says Maricela Ochoa, one of the members of The IV League, a group of women living with metastatic breast cancer. The voices of these women are in sharp contrast to those of the women participating in the pink ribbon events, where the atmosphere is often celebratory and festive.

Samantha King, the author of Pink Ribbons, Inc. – Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy, notes that many women feel alienated by this approach because “in order to be a survivor, you must maintain this optimistic outlook and participate in what I call the tyranny of cheerfulness.”

With its attendant drugs, chemotherapy, radiation treatments and mammographies, breast cancer is a multi-billion dollar industry in North America. But what happens when a company engages in “pink-washing”—raising money for breast cancer while manufacturing products that are linked to causing the disease?

Pink Ribbons, Inc. suggests viewers consider heeding some simple words of advice from the organization Breast Cancer Action: “Think before you pink.”