Breast Cancer Is Not A Fashion Frolic

For starters, no right-minded person with an ounce of sensitivity would ever use ‘tickled pink’ and ‘breast cancer’ in the same sentence. For every photographer, artist and lover of women — including women ourselves — who touches my heart by leaving a Facebook message that says “Anne, you are beloved for what you are doing for women”, another reaches out to me in a very different way.

Any artist who reads AOC at length and follows my fight for women’s freedom in body and spirit would know that being ‘Tickled Pink Over Breast Cancer Awareness’ is an editorial concept that might fall on deaf ears with me.

Ever the optimist, I’m a firm believer in not shooting the messenger with the exception of a select few photographers, so I will not address the photographer or TV host who produced this editorial. Google search can be a powerful negative for artists, and I have no desire to inflict personal harm here.

BCABPP: Breast Cancer Survivors Make Art Out of Battle

Instead, I will try to create a teaching moment, an opportunity to give voice to my good friends breast cancer survivor and model Ellen Gondola (who remains hot, sexy, and full of spunk) and Pompano Beach photographer and UNCOMMON Gallery owner Michael D. Colanero. I met up with Ellen and Michael about a year ago, when the photographer posted on my FB wall:

“It took facebook 186 THOUSAND SIGNATURES and TWO MONTHS to remove PRO-RAPE group pages - yet survivor images in the Breast Cancer Awareness Body Painting Project (BCABPP) were deleted less then 24 hours after being posted… SERIOUSLY WTF!!!!”

Well that post got my attention!! I wrote in-depth about the LUDICROUS problems the BCABPP experienced on Facebook, and we have all been fast friends ever since.

Is Pink Losing Its Lustre?

AOC maintains a continued focus on the Komen Foundation’s attempt to discredit and defund Planned Parenthood. One can’t write about the pink ribbon, breast cancer machine that is Komen without entering the passionate waters of anti-pink sentiment about the ‘tickled pink’ breast cancer fundraising industry.

Within this context, I will write no more about ‘Tickled Pink’ and give the digital floor to Ellen Gondola, of the Breast Cancer Awareness Body Painting Project (BCABPP) and founder Michael D. Colanero. Both are far more adept at commenting on this editorial than I am.

Ellen Gondola reacts to ‘Tickled Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness’

First of all… I’m sick of pink!!! ( as are most of my “survivor sisters” ) We gag at the sight of it, and October only makes it worse. Second of all, except for the “painted” ribbon, there is nothing other than the title page that says this is for breast cancer awareness. UGH…..

I’m tired of ‘celebs’ that could use their fame for better purpose *say raising funds here* rather than a photo shoot to glamorize themselves! Did she really need another photo spread?? What about a public service message to her fan base about getting a mammogram….in a stupid pink dress.