RIBBON REGULATION -- IS IT TIME ?

I hate to even suggest what is about to come out of my mouth.  I may actually see the words in a comic bubble above my own head (out of body-ish experience).  I might be having an actual out of body experience where I am looking down at ME asking, "Who the hell is that idiot?"  It might be my shrinking brain.  Perhaps all logic has left my head via my ears as the white matter, gray matter, all matter spilled out on to the keyboard upon which I type.

The Daily BEAST..... Here's their take on The Ribbon.  Broken record... here we go again... but NOT.  I think it's time for.... oh my jeezzzzz.... Don't.Say.It....

DON'T....  Well, it can't be helped, it's likely time.....

*Blurts out*

Pink Ribbon Regulation.

(Thanks to my misfiring brain for blurting before thinking.....)

It's out there now.... and "out there" is on display for us to see.  Within weeks, we will be innundated with the Pre-October extravaganzas.  We will start to see things like this:

Not for nothing..... this has the appearance of an orgy.  Arms, hands, lips.  This isn't awareness.  This is ONCE AGAIN, sexualizing a disease.  Is this what breast cancer looks like to any of you that are intimately familiar with the disease?  Truthfully, do these women look like any NORMAL woman.  Forget about breast cancer... these are not your average women.  On any part of the planet.  

Or.... how about putting an ad like THIS in South Africa where 79.2% of the entire population is black.  More than 65% of the population are female.  Only 10% of the population has health insurance.  Of that 10% with health insurance, only 2% of those are black.  I'm not trying to make a race issue here, I'm merely sharing what was told to me by my dedicated friend Kwanele, a black woman from South Africa who is passionate about seeing change in her country.  She attended NBCC.  She is outraged by this Playtex ad.  Why?  She finds it insulting that in a country where the majority of the population are women of color, why is a blonde, white woman in this ad??  And, she asks, after Playtex funds the screening to find the cancer, who is providing the necessary care to treat those who are diagnosed.  Good.Damn.Question.

My point?  The problem is global.  And it's out of control.  Remember Grazia, my Italian friend who is living in the UK..... She's outraged, too.  Did you see the video... that was another "hot mess" and it is still in the blog post from Grazia.

The ribbon is going to be here for a long time.  We are climbing a steep mountain.  It might be time for us to demand some ground rules.  A set of UNIFORM guidelines.  How's this for starters?  Where there is a ribbon and a company who stands to profit by having their name displayed in the same ad, the company is FORCED to clearly state their mission and their intention.

The Estee Lauder ad offends me on many levels.  Can you figure out the purpose of that ad?  Me either.  What precisely does "Playtex supports CAN/SA" mean?  Obviously, I'm using this to highlight a point.  I don't have a voice in South African politics but I can support my friend who is trying to have her voice heard.

It's time for us to demand... yes, DEMAND full transparency.  If a for-profit entity runs an ad with a ribbon, their intent should be clear.  If their intent is to "raise awareness" I call Bullshit.  The awareness ship has sailed.  If the company is simply jumping on the pink band-wagon to tug on our emotions, they should be stopped.  If they are funding something, full disclosure should be forced upon anyone utilizing the ribbon.  Just like the ingredient labels on our food packages and the nutrition content that is now also mandatory, we need a "content label" affixed to every single thing that dons a ribbon.

I'm not big on government intervention but this situation has gotten so far out of control, it seems to me the consumers need to be protected.  Much of what goes on is false advertising and would not be tolerated under the marketing laws. Cause marketing has no rules.  No regulations.  No uniform set of guidelines regarding disclosure.

This is big business and there are billions of dollars at stake.  No more misleading ads.  It's time to hold everyone accountable.  THEN we will be able to see which companies are lending their name to the ribbon solely for their own profit and which companies are diligently raising funds and filling the coffers of organizations that are worthy of the money WE are spending on their ribbon products.

It's a start and we have to start somewhere.  All this chatter is making my head spin.  I need to see some suggestions. Some action.  Some ideas.  Something to change the conversation.