Pink was the New Black

Wait, you just noticed?

Having worked in a shopping mall, the amount of pink you see everywhere is quite annoying. I mean, I'm all for supporting research for preventing and curing a disease. However, when I see a product with a pink ribbon on it I know immediately that someone is essentially trying to make some money on someone else's misery. Slap a pink ribbon on a can of tuna, and it sells more. It's a much cheaper solution than an extensive ad campaign or product improvements.

As a result, I won't be spending my money on these products. I might as well just go out and donate my money directly, rather than contribute to some lazy company's bottom line.

The market became oversaturated with pink merchandise, so some companies have switched to (RED) which is supposed to promote awareness for... something. I won't be buying any of that either.

I'm not sure what bothers me more: that companies are taking advantage of disease "awareness" to make money, or that some people seem to view such items as a fashion statement of some sort. They seem to think it's some kind of social status to have pink this and pink that but really, it just makes you look like a fool for doing exactly what these companies were anticipating.

I'm not even sure pink is the right color for promoting awareness about a disease. At this point I am aware of breast cancer, but it seems soft and cuddly because every imagery associated with it is pink.

Sure, some people have legitimate reasons for promoting awareness. Perhaps they or someone they know was diagnosed with breast cancer. However, their money would be better spent by a direct donation rather than buying a pink box of baking soda, which may just be pink for the sake of being pink. Furthermore, when I see someone clad in pink merchandise, it doesn't exactly make me think, "mmm, I should go buy some of that too." But then maybe it's different for people who buy pink stuff anyway.