think pink!

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month {an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention and cure}, I hope that now, more than ever, we can think pink: extend beyond those things that cause divisions and simply unite as women.

Why pink? Margaret Welch, director of the Color Association of the United States, says that “pink is the quintessential female color. The profile on pink is playful, life-affirming. We have studies as to its calming effect, its quieting effect, its lessening of stress. (Pastel pink) is a shade known to be health-giving.." [Read the history of the pink ribbon here.]

Some may say that pink, then, is everything that cancer is not. But to support the cause, "NABCO’s executive director, Amy Langer, told The New York Times Magazine in 1996 that breast cancer, unlike other health threats to women, was 'loaded': 'It’s about body image, it’s about nurturing—it’s certainly about femininity.' For women who feel this way, who experience cancer as predominantly a loss of womanhood, what better color to pin on than pink—girlie, pretty, healthy pink?" [via Think Before you Pink]

After reading dozens of articles and watching lives who have been affected by breast cancer, I'm left with an appreciation for life and awareness and those who work so hard to provide/fight for both. I believe that womanhood embodies power and strength and I want to further that. More than anything, I'm glad for the opportunity to help even if it means doing something as small as shopping for the cause.

This week's focus will be all things.. pink: products in various shades {of pink} that support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. [Guilt-free shopping!] Enjoy.