Pink Ribbons Inc

If you've been around these parts of the Internet for a while, you will already know I can get pretty opinionated about the the good and evil aspects of the media. If you are new, I can tell you right now that I often like to weigh in on issues such as Kony 2012, The Lightbulb Conspiracy, and how much I appreciate good advertising.

My latest is a film coming to the Sydney Film Festival this month, called Pink Ribbons Inc, a documentary about how breast cancer – a real disease that kills women every day – has been turned into a brand. That billions of dollars have been raised for this cause, and yet we are no closer to finding a cure. That multi-national corporations openly support the pink ribbon movement whilst simultaneously using known carcnegenics in their products.

I haven't seen Pink Ribbons Inc yet, but the trailer gives a pretty good indication of the premise of the film. The media and big companies have found just another way to capitalise on something that pulls at the heartstrings of everyone. No one wants to watch their mother, sister, wife, or friend die of this horrible disease and, through helplessness and hope, they do the only thing they know how to do, reach into their pocket and buy a pink product. This film appears to act as a reminder that the pink ribbon brand is not a fad or a current fashion, it is the face of a real problem – one that women are suffering with every day – and it is not cool; it is horrible.

I am a sucker for my love/hate relationship with the media, because in making a film like this and turning audiences away from the mass media and greedy corporations, they are technically using the same outlets to achieve the same results as said mass media and greedy corporations but at the opposite side of the spectrum. Tricky, isn't it?

All the same, I am definitely an advocate of hearing the unheard voice, seeing another side to the story, and being reminded that we are constantly being played from every angle by those who can use this brilliant device (film, television, advertising, etc) in order to be heard!

Here's the trailer, let me know what you think:

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Posted by Katherine Mackenzie-Smith & filed under Current Events, Viewing Delights. This post has 2 comments.