September 25, 2009

• Save the WHAT?!

  UPDATE: I've been told that the dollar amount was not $80. Not sure what it actually was--for some reason I remembered $80. Apologies for factual error.
  UPDATE 2: Yes, the email address is real, haha. One should not be bored on a Friday. I'm not promising it'll still work in a few days, though.

  October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is the most common form of cancer among women, and 192, 370 women are diagnosed each year (info from site link). It is of great concern to me as well; I've run in the Susan B. Komen race in my area, and my own grandmother died of breast cancer at the relatively young age of 64. Those suggesting this problem is not important to me can kindly check the red X in the right-hand corner of your browser--it magically sends me e-mail to register your disapproval. I promise.

  Each year on Xanga, people do various things to spread the word about the need to be checked for tumors. For whatever reason, much of this centers around showing one's own breasts to promote the need for breast cancer awareness. Essentially, it's nudity for charity, which I suppose is better than "Beating homeless people for charity" and "Nudity for free t-shirts and beer". As far as I can tell, people get involved for two reasons:
  1. A genuine passion for raising money and awareness about breast cancer.
  2. An excuse to have their bodies praised and appreciated

  For the first reason, it is hardly necessary to resort to nudity to raise breast cancer awareness. A nude female tends to mostly attract men, not women (I said mostly! No angry e-mails please! :-p). Breast cancer does not affect most men. So how can you argue that showing your breasts raises awareness for other women to get their breasts checked out? And since being a man and being on Xanga probably means you don't have a woman (yes I went there), I doubt that the man will pass on the info to his girl. "Honey, I was looking at boobs today, and I think you should get checked!" is hardly going to fly.
  But what about cash raised by Dan's Save the Boobs campaign? Well, last year the campaign raised $80 (some number) for breast cancer treatment. Not bad, I suppose. It's likely to raise about the same this year. But I tell you what. If the campaign isn't held this year, I will pledge $200  (some number X 2, as long as it doesn't put me in a cardboard box) for breast cancer treatment, in honor of my deceased grandmother. So if you care so much about breast cancer awareness, do you really want to go through with the campaign? You're depriving tumor-ridden women of free mammograms I would pay for by doing so. I hope you can live with this guilt. Hold on, wait--that sound is my poor grandmother spinning in her grave, and it's all your fault!

  But as for the second reason--can I first say, there are some FINE women on Xanga. I was checking my Xanga when a friend was around, and he saw some pictures of my subscribers. Let's just say he was impressed, haha. However, many of them are often unappreciated. I can read that between the lines in their posts. So yes, I understand the desire to show some skin to gain some appreciation. Some time ago, one of my subscribers did something rather exhibitionistic on Xanga. A lot of people judged her for it. I couldn't; I had seen her pulse update a few days ago saying how lonely she was. I had read her last few posts. The poor girl was merely reacting to no one appreciating her sweet smart self. I felt for her.
  However, is just posting a picture of your naked torso the answer? There's no opportunity to really praise you for your beauty in more specific terms--the way your hair curls around your neck in a friendly embrace, or your lips open just a little bit when you're concentrating intensely about something, blah-blah-blah. Praising someone for the angle of their nippleage isn't the same at all. The best complements are specific to you, in real life--not a generic "Hey, nice rack, photo #22." I can't believe that most of my subscribers won't post regular photos and videos of themselves being normal, but some think that October is a great time to get naked. Does not compute! Look, lady, if you are feeling that complement-deprived, send pictures (of your whole self, please, no naughty bits, LOL) to email, haha. I'll send you back admiring complements. This offer is only open to those not participating in the contest. :-p

  Another thought. What about comparison? You know people will comment as to whose breasts they think are most attractive or least. And it usually tends to be the same people who get all the complements. The poor athlete who is pretty and in great physical condition but has a small bra size tends to be ignored; or the older woman who has wisely raised children and worked hard is despised. I once was talking with a Xangan about the campaign, and she said she wouldn't enter because her breasts weren't good enough. That made me so sad it wasn't funny--I couldn't even think of something to say. Not good enough?! She's an attractive woman, and I am fond of her. Any campaign that makes a woman like her feel inadequate is suspect. Also, you never realize what's wrong with you unless you're forced to compare yourself with your betters. And since most of us are average in looks, well...chances are good you're going to feel less than good enough. The goal of breast cancer campaigns is to save the breasts, not encourage women to get surgery on their breasts to get implants! If I hear one more pretty woman suggest that she needs implants...grr. Competition is killing women--it's forcing them to resort to unhealthy behavior to land men, and spreading the message that normal you isn't good enough.

  One last question. How many of you women have been bothered by a pervert/sexually aggressive person on Xanga? I'm surprised by how high the number is. Well, how do you think perverts get on Xanga? Why don't they go to other sites instead? They get on here because they find sexual material on Xanga. And, um, what do you think a page filled with breast photos is? Trust, most of us guys, on seeing such things, don't fall to our knees, close our eyes, and thank our deity of choice for his fine taste in curvilinear structure design. Well, the first two events might happen, but it's, um, for different reasons. Let me be more frank than usual--instead of "Save the Boobs", what about "Save the Semen?"  I have a suggestion...
  
  Because after all, they are animals, haha. Plus, too many of you are good friends to me, and it feels too much like walking in on a sibling in the shower or something. I like Xanga, not SEXanga, ok? As if it isn't difficult enough staying platonic with a few of you :-p lead me not into temptation!

  • 6:57 pm
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