The Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: Film Screening — "Pink Ribbons, Inc."

October 11, 2012

The Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies will host a screening of Director Léa Pool’s documentary film Pink Ribbons, Inc (97 minutes).

Pink Ribbons, Inc. Synopsis

The ubiquitous pink ribbons of breast cancer philanthropy — and the hand-in-hand marketing of brands and products associated with that philanthropy — permeates our culture and provides assurance that we are engaged in a successful battle against this insidious disease. But the campaign obscures the reality and facts of breast cancer: More and more women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, and face the same treatment options they did 40 years ago. Yet women are also the most influential market group, buying 80 percent of consumer products and making most major household-purchasing decisions. So then who really benefits from the pink ribbon campaigns — the cause or the company? And what if the very companies and products that profit from their association have actually contributed to the problem?

In showing the real story of breast cancer and the lives of those who fight it, Pink Ribbons, Inc. reveals the co-opting of what marketing experts have labeled a “dream cause.”

The screening will be followed by Q&A with board members from Breast Cancer Action, an organization featured in the film.

Click here to watch the trailer.

For more information about the screening, please contact Dr. Lori Baralt at lori.baralt@csulb.edu.