American Studies- A Cause Worth Fighting For

You see them everywhere. Everyone knows what it is and what it represents. The well recognized pink ribbon has been a representation of awareness for breast cancer since it was first introduced in 1991. Today, our culture has taken the pink ribbon and turned it into a symbol of fighting causes. The history of the pink ribbon actually began before 1991, though few people know it. Penney Laingen was actually the first person to use a ribbon as representation for fighting a cause in the early 1970s when she tied yellow ribbons around trees in town to show her desire for her husband’s safe return from the war in Iran. Many people followed in Penney’s footsteps, making yellow ribbons a representation for the safe return of soldiers fighting in foreign wars.

Then in 1991, Susan G. Komen handed out pink ribbons at the Race for Breast Cancer Survivors in New York City. This, of course, started the phenomenon of the pink ribbon representing breast cancer awareness. But today people have branched out and pink in general is now this representation. There are some grocery stores that hand out pink tote bags if you donate money to the Susan G. Komen foundation. There are some baseball players that use pink bats on Mother’s Day to promote awareness. On March 31, 2009, an entire ice rink was painted pink for breast cancer awareness night.

But it’s not only pink and yellow that have become symbolic in our country. Every ribbon has a color and every color is fighting for a different cause. Blue fights against child abuse, red fights again AIDS, white fights against violence on women, and green fights against neglect of the environment. Now there is even a pink and blue ribbon that fights against abortion. People have ribbons all over their bumpers and the color and shape always mean a different cause to fight for. Our culture has taken the simple ribbon round the old oak tree and turned it into the nationwide symbol for hope, awareness, and a cause worth fighting for. And now, in the midst of breast cancer awareness month, you will see an abundance of pink that all started with the little pink ribbon.


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