White... again.

It's my bra color. Personally, I have no problem with anyone knowing this. It's not like I'm actually going to SHOW you this, and this is something that I wouldn't have a problem sharing with others if asked (though I won't PROVE IT!).

This was all of the rage on facebook yesterday. It was a forward many women got to post the color of their bras as a way of raising awareness for breast cancer. If you've read my blog in the past, I'm all for raising awareness; therefore, I did it.

However, one friend of mine decided that she thought this was a meaningless, empty gesture that had absolutely no merit. I have to say, I respectfully disagree with her. Another said it went against every principle of 'awareness-marketing' toward breast cancer. Fine, it wasn't endorsed by the American Cancer Society, I'll go with that. I'll be the first one to admit that it's a silly viral thing on the internets. It did also leave out the male population, which does have a chance of getting breast cancer, though the percentage is dramatically smaller.

While I do agree this doesn't CURE breast cancer, nor does it raise money, it DOES, however, in its own silly way, raise awareness and gives an opening for people to share their stories, whether they are survivors, know survivors, or know someone who lost their battle with breast cancer.

Well, I'm already AWARE of breast cancer, someone says? Well, true, people are aware of it, but are you aware of a government panel that says you shouldn't get yearly mammograms when you turn forty, but rather FIFTY? (I, and the American Cancer Society, disagree with the government on this one).

It brings up a point about symbolism that I wish to address.

I think of communion for some reason. Now, I will preface this by saying I AM NOT COMPARING COMMUNION TO TELLING PEOPLE THE COLOR OF THEIR BRAS! It's a symbolic gesture (unless you're Catholic) to drink juice and wafers on communion Sunday because you know that symbolizes the blood and body of Christ. To a non-Christian, this is an empty gesture (sadly). If a non-Christian engages with a Christian about it, they can simply say, this is stupid and the dutiful, evangelizing Christian would talk about the significance of communion and why Christians take communion. Then, they could go on about why they need Jesus as a savior.

In that sense, the symbol, as a tool of educating, is the same thing. (Again, I don't mean the actual act, but merely the act being explained as an evangelical tool). People can say, why are people posting colors on their facebook statuses? Others who have posted it, in turn, can explain why they have. In this sense, what seems to be an empty symbolic gesture has educated people, in a small way.

So it may seem like another silly, viral thing on the internets, but to be honest, it kind of worked. This is the power of the internet.

This is why it's important to use this power for good. Not evil.

Besides, if it weren't for the colors and some 'dramatic' responses to people posting their bra colors, I wouldn't have written this blog. Guess it wasn't a meaningless, vapid gesture, was it?

Also, non-Christians, communion isn't either!