Breast Cancer Memes Helpful or Not
For many years breast cancer awareness memes have come around to women asking them to put their name and bra color according to their size, where they like to leave their purse, and many more bringing a fun sexually charged memes that go viral. But are they helpful in supporting the goals of the cause?
Positives:
The memes go viral and a lot of women participate because it is fun and easy. Some also find it fun to keep the men that see the status guessing and wondering what it means or thinking it means something sexual. It also goes viral with lots of women participating around the world which you would think helps raise awareness. However, the data on this is inconclusive since the meme’s start at the same time as the National Breast Cancer Awareness month so we can’t tell if the memes are boosting donations and awareness or if it is a coincidence because of when they are put out.
Negatives:
They excluded men and according to research women are not the only ones who are getting and dying from breast cancer. 2000 men were diagnosed with breast cancer and 400 of those men died in 2012. (Mahoney, L.M, & Tang, T, 2016) In 2026 it is estimated that 2,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be found (this includes new cases of primary breast cancer but not recurring cases of breast cancer.) 152 of them will be men in the U.S. with 530 of those cases resulting in death. (Susan G. Kolmen foundation, 2026) These memes are fun, but they don’t link to any real information about the cause or the research to cure the cancer for all of us to be out of danger from breast cancer. Did something that once started as a fun idea to bring awareness take a wrong turn and become just a game or something fun to keep people guessing on your social media posts and status?
What ifs:
Would we be better to have memes that tie links in so that people can learn more about the cause and what steps are being done to help find the cures? What if these memes gave links to be able to donate to the cause or to sign up for volunteer work at a place where people are needed and be able to see first-hand the devastation this cancer brings with it. These links are also just a button push away would more people sign up or donate if these buttons gave links to helpful information? I think we should change them up and try it to see if more people would do that rather than just have fun with a meme?
Another possibility to try is to just keep the memes the same but change when they circulate to see if they are promoting more donations or if it is just a coincidence since they start to circulate at the beginning of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and everywhere is promoting the cause and getting the word out about donations and walks that bring in donations as well.
Personal Experience:
I used to say I understand cancer is hard. I think everyone does and it is different still for those that go through it to those that are supporting them. It was not breast cancer, but my father had cancer several years ago and thankfully he was able to survive and enjoy life again. However, being there to see what he went through and the changes in his ability to do things because of the treatments and how they affect your body was eye opening and scary. I always thought I knew cancer was horrible but to witness it first-hand brings it to a light I could never have imagined. Recently my cousin went through breast cancer. She found it right after she graduated college and got offered a job. She was very blessed that the job she was offered told her to take care of herself and go through the treatments from the doctor and when she was done and ready she could start but not to worry the job was hers. I think a company who will do that is an amazing and compassionate company that anyone would be lucky to work for.
However, she has other challenges that some don’t consider when they think of cancer. Because she had just graduated her insurance that she had as a student was no longer in effect and she now has major medical bills to cover. She is one of the lucky that have a family that cares for her and are doing what they can to help her in this time of struggle especially since we could not fight the true battle just stand by and be there when she wanted us and understand when she didn’t so she could focus on fighting!
Xela, you raise an important question about whether viral breast cancer awareness memes are truly helping the cause or simply creating entertainment-based engagement. I agree that these memes are effective at encouraging participation because they are easy to share and create curiosity among audiences. Social media platforms are designed to support this type of participatory interaction, where users help distribute and amplify content within their own networks (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010).
However, as you pointed out, viral engagement does not always translate into meaningful outcomes (Sangiorgio, 2025). If the memes do not provide links to educational resources, screening information, or donation opportunities, they may only raise temporary attention rather than real awareness. I think your idea of embedding links or calls to action is a strong solution because it could turn participation into measurable impact.
Your discussion about inclusivity and your personal story also added an important reminder that awareness campaigns should ultimately support real people and real communities.
Thanks for providing a great blog!
References:
Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003
Sangiorgio, et al.Evaluating the effect of viral posts on social media engagement. Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 3;15(1):639. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-84960-6. PMID: 39753870; PMCID: PMC11699135.