It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as you can tell from pink gloves worn by football players, pink drinks offered at restaurants and pink luxury items for sale wherever you look. While it’s laudable that so many industries that seem to have little to do with cancer prevention are lending a hand, some see the flood of pink as disingenuous marketing that does little to fund cancer research.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune takes a look at the phenomenon, noting that the amount of things, people and objects that have gone pink has gotten ridiculous. Dog toys, hair gel and handguns are all available in pink flavors, and there is little oversight that ensures an appropriate amount of money spent on breast cancer awareness-raising products goes toward research.

A feisty cancer survivor hones the sentiment to a fine point:

“The pink garbage cans really set me off. If a company really wants to help, write out a check. This is now more about marketing than awareness.”

A spokesperson for Susan G. Komen for the Cure notes that pink products help it fund $70 million each year in breast cancer research, saying the pink proliferation helps give people as many options to give as possible.

Pink blitz for breast cancer stirs debate [Star Tribune]

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