This image had popped up a few times in my newsfeed and every time it's made me stop and think, "WTH".
Tallia Castellano, a thirteen year old famous for her viral youtube tutorial videos on make up and reviews has become the new CoverGirl following her battle against cancer. Having been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 7, Tallia has undergone chemotherapy three times thus far. Her honorary CoverGirl status is a testament of empowerment and hope to all those out there who are fighting cancer.
Yes yes rainbows and unicorns.
Not quite.
There is something here that really bothers me. One, that CoverGirl products have been known to be cancer-causing, two, that by glamorizing cancer they are subliminally justifying the existence of cancer, and three, that by putting a pretty face on cancer "fighters", they are neglecting the other side; the suffering, the pain, the anger.
This all comes down to my perspective of the Pink Ribbons Campaign. Cancer has become a commodity upon which society has acknowledged its value and have thus begun capitalizing on it. This, in my opinion, is inherently wrong. To benefit or more specifically, to profit from the illness of others is wrong in my book and that is the basis of my argument. Let your perspective differ as it may, but here is where I stand.
The language used in these cancer campaigns, "fighting", "battling", or "conquering" are all words of war. We are not combatting a foreign enemy here. Cancer cells are a part of us, they are abnormal cells that grow within the human body as a result of an acidic environment. Studies have shown that alkaline environments kill cancer cells yet these studies have gone under the radar, quite conveniently.
More and more money is being divulged into research that is looking for a cure to something that we don't fully comprehend.
It is simple. Just think about it.. does that make any sense?
Before listening to all the mumbo jumbo, the threaded sentences of eloquent words and phrases that seem so scholarly that you take them at face value. NO.
Think about what they are saying.
The truth is simple. And it simply doesn't make sense. To me, at least.
Ford, Estee Lauder, Avon, CoverGirl, all these companies hold annual fundraiser to "fight cancer". But how can you fight something you don't completely understand? How can you fight something you don't know?
Is it not hypocrisy to "fight" a disease that you are causing in the first place?
My last poem,
"They wanna 'fix' things because they broke them.
They wanna raise money for a cause because they caused it."
That is what I'm trying to say here.
Think about it...
They sell you a product that causes cancer.
And then take your money to find a way to cure it.
And you want to support a company that is doing so much 'good'
so you go back to them and buy more products
that are more likely to give you cancer
and they hold more fundraisers
to which you give more money
to find a cure to a problem
that you paid them to cause.
Think about it.
Putting a pretty picture to a disease is not right.
But for those who have gone through it, you are survivors. I have nothing but unconditional love for you.
Open your eyes to realize the real lies that are being propagated by society.
Putting a pretty face on cancer doesn't cure it.
Education does. Finding and limiting the causes for cancer does. Money towards prevention does.
And most importantly, educate yourself.
Don't take anything at face value.
Tallia Castellano, a thirteen year old famous for her viral youtube tutorial videos on make up and reviews has become the new CoverGirl following her battle against cancer. Having been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 7, Tallia has undergone chemotherapy three times thus far. Her honorary CoverGirl status is a testament of empowerment and hope to all those out there who are fighting cancer.
Yes yes rainbows and unicorns.
Not quite.
There is something here that really bothers me. One, that CoverGirl products have been known to be cancer-causing, two, that by glamorizing cancer they are subliminally justifying the existence of cancer, and three, that by putting a pretty face on cancer "fighters", they are neglecting the other side; the suffering, the pain, the anger.
This all comes down to my perspective of the Pink Ribbons Campaign. Cancer has become a commodity upon which society has acknowledged its value and have thus begun capitalizing on it. This, in my opinion, is inherently wrong. To benefit or more specifically, to profit from the illness of others is wrong in my book and that is the basis of my argument. Let your perspective differ as it may, but here is where I stand.
The language used in these cancer campaigns, "fighting", "battling", or "conquering" are all words of war. We are not combatting a foreign enemy here. Cancer cells are a part of us, they are abnormal cells that grow within the human body as a result of an acidic environment. Studies have shown that alkaline environments kill cancer cells yet these studies have gone under the radar, quite conveniently.
More and more money is being divulged into research that is looking for a cure to something that we don't fully comprehend.
It is simple. Just think about it.. does that make any sense?
Before listening to all the mumbo jumbo, the threaded sentences of eloquent words and phrases that seem so scholarly that you take them at face value. NO.
Think about what they are saying.
The truth is simple. And it simply doesn't make sense. To me, at least.
Ford, Estee Lauder, Avon, CoverGirl, all these companies hold annual fundraiser to "fight cancer". But how can you fight something you don't completely understand? How can you fight something you don't know?
Is it not hypocrisy to "fight" a disease that you are causing in the first place?
My last poem,
"They wanna 'fix' things because they broke them.
They wanna raise money for a cause because they caused it."
That is what I'm trying to say here.
Think about it...
They sell you a product that causes cancer.
And then take your money to find a way to cure it.
And you want to support a company that is doing so much 'good'
so you go back to them and buy more products
that are more likely to give you cancer
and they hold more fundraisers
to which you give more money
to find a cure to a problem
that you paid them to cause.
Think about it.
Putting a pretty picture to a disease is not right.
But for those who have gone through it, you are survivors. I have nothing but unconditional love for you.
Open your eyes to realize the real lies that are being propagated by society.
Putting a pretty face on cancer doesn't cure it.
Education does. Finding and limiting the causes for cancer does. Money towards prevention does.
And most importantly, educate yourself.
Don't take anything at face value.
Image source: CoverGirl.com
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