The Pink Ribbon | Breast Cancer Awareness

The pink ribbon has been synonymous with breast cancer for years. Nowadays, people rarely think twice when they see pink ribbons, having grown accustomed to the pink ribbon and what it symbolizes. #Pink #ThinkPink

The Pink Ribbon | Breast Cancer Awareness

Think Pink! Breast Cancer Awareness
Think Pink! Breast Cancer Awareness

Breast Cancer Awareness Month, celebrated each year in October since 1985. Many other breast cancer awareness initiatives have begun too. While the pink ribbon may seem like it’s been in use for just as long, it was actually established around 20 years ago.

Ribbons have long symbolized something important. For decades, yellow ribbons alert others to soldiers at war or hostages that hadn’t yet come home. People often tie yellow ribbons around trees at home until their service men and women came home safely. During the height of HIV/AIDS activism and awareness, red ribbons symbolize the support for those with that disease.

Why Pink?

Although the pink ribbon evolved because pink expresses femininity, calm, health, and youth, the first breast cancer ribbon was actually peach. Charlotte Haley, credited with devising the first breast cancer ribbon in 1992. She was a breast cancer survivor and came from a family of women who also fought the disease. She created peach-colored loops at home and then distributed the ribbons at her local grocery stores. Haley encouraged people to wear the ribbons and contact legislators to demand more funding for breast cancer research. An attached note  with the ribbons stating, “The National Cancer Institute annual budget is $1.8 billion, only 5 percent goes for cancer prevention. Help us wake up our legislators and America by wearing this ribbon.”

Supporting the fighters, admiring the survivors, honoring the taken and never, ever giving up hope.

Read this blog post on all things pink. I will talk about the color pink and if it’s mentioned in the Bible. I will share where too.

Evelyn Lauder, senior corporate vice president for the Estee Lauder company, and Self magazine editor Alexandra Penney teamed up to produce a pink ribbon. They distributed it at makeup counters all across the country. The company collected more than 200,000 pink ribbon petitions asking the U.S. government for increased funding for breast cancer research.

Breast Cancer Pink Ribbon Buttons
MetroCreative Image

Although Lauder and Haley reached people on different levels, their goals were the same: To educate the public on the lack of funds allotted to breast cancer research.

Blue-and-pink Ribbon

Not to mention, pink ribbons are now seen all over and have become the uniting force for millions of women who are facing breast cancer or supporting someone with the disease. In 1996, Nancy Nick created a blue-and-pink ribbon to symbolize male breast cancer ribbons in honor of her late father. The ribbons remind others that breast cancer can affect men as well as women.

Sadly, it is harder for a man to get a mammogram, despite, it runs in men too. Which is sad!

The blue-and-pink ribbon also represents Inflammatory Breast Cancer, Infant Loss Awareness, Pro-Life and Infertility too.

A TV show, A Million Little Things, Gary Mendez (Played by James Roday Rodriguez), his character portrayed a male who had breast cancer.

THINK PINK!

Although you can see waves of pink every October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many people don their ribbons year-round. There has been great strides with respect to breast cancer. However, about 225,000 new cases popping up each year in the United States alone. There’s still work to be done!

Think Pink! #ThinkPink Learn about the Pink Ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness. #BreastCancer #Pink Click To Tweet

I remember when I worked at ADT Security Center, I got best dressed in Pink in my department. This picture, shown here is from October 2012. Real men wear pink! I even decorated my two supervisors cubical stations with pink items.

Steve Best Dressed in Pink 2012 - Pink Ribbon
Steve Best Dressed in Pink (2012)

One of my aunts, my mom’s sister, passed away from Breast Cancer.

I know 3 people who are Breast Cancer Survivors: Robin, Roberetta and Sylvia.

Real Men Wear Pink - Real Men Rock Pink - Steve wearing Pink 2020
Steve Wearing Pink in 2020

Keep Breast Cancer and all other types of cancers in your prayers, along with the people battling the various cancers in prayers too. Plus, the medical staff associated with those care too.

Learn about Pink Sunday!

Find out more about Breast Cancer at the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Parts of this article is compliments of MetroCreativeGraphics: TF128377
First published October 1, 2015. Last Republished or updated/revised on October 6, 2023.

Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Awareness Face Mask

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Author: Steve Patterson

A Christian Blogger that enjoys blogging about the Bible, Theology, God, Jesus Christ, Christian Music, Family, Cats, Odd Holidays, sewing and much more. I have been blogging since 2004, however, I have been blogging on Courageous Christian Father since 2012. I enjoy listening to Christian Music. I am married with 1 daughter, 2 step-sons and a step daughter.

4 thoughts on “The Pink Ribbon | Breast Cancer Awareness

  1. My heart reaches out to all who have suffered from cancer and their families. Lisa my wife of 33 years passed away from ovarian cancer last March. I had a dream today of the cancer ribbon being turned upside down to image a vase that would capture all the love needed for the cure of cancer. Your thoughts please!!!

    1. There are so many lives that cancer has taken. I am sorry to hear about the loss of your wife. I like that idea of the upside down cancer ribbon into a vase. Thanks for sharing and God Bless Tim!

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