Pink Ribbons, Inc.

Canadian filmmaker Léa Pool takes on the corporate culture that has been built up around breast cancer research, with a special focus here on Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a group that recently disassociated itself from Planned Parenthood. The title comes from a 2006 book by Dr. Samantha King about the “pink ribbon industry." When author Barbara Ehrenreich was undergoing treatment for the disease, she saw no real connection with her experience, and wondered, "What's with all these pink ribbons?” For companies like American Express, Yoplait, and the Ford Motor Company, however, this particular form of "cause marketing" has provided new opportunities to increase sales. But the size of these donations is often smaller than consumers realize; worse yet, some of the advertised products have a history of carcinogenic risk. Dr. Susan Love recommends that people do their research so they know where their contributions are going. Pool includes footage of Komen's Race for the Cure and Avon's Walk for Breast Cancer, while activists, medical professionals, and corporate spokespeople (including Komen CEO Nancy G. Brinker) talk about the increased incidence of breast cancer and the emphasis on cure over prevention, specifically in regards to environmental factors (Pool also speaks with Charlotte Haley, unheralded inventor of the pink ribbon). Most affectingly, members of a support group with stage IV breast cancer question terms like "battle" and "survivor," which imply that they haven't worked hard enough, since they haven't been able to keep cancer at bay. King terms the phenomenon the "tyranny of cheerfulness,” which feeds into the corporate agenda while discouraging women from expressing their justifiable anger and frustration. A powerful, thought-provoking documentary, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)