October is breast cancer awareness month and we’re showing our support by bringing you products where proceeds really are donated to organizations that care about funding breast cancer research.

Titties, melons, jugs, Thelma and Louise, whatever you call your lady lumps, it’s important to remember that breast cancer is no joke! Chances are, if you don’t have firsthand experience battling this disease, then you have probably been affected by someone who has. It’s easy for the majority of us who haven’t had breast cancer to forget just how sobering the statistics are. So before we get into the products that support breast cancer research, let’s take a look at some facts and figures from BreastCancer.org:

• About one in eight U.S. women (about 12 percent) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
• Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women.
• For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
• A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Less than 15 percent of women who get breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it.

Now that you have a little more information, let’s also discuss your breast self-examination. You must do these! There are no ifs, ands, buts, or boobs about it! And if you don’t feel like scouring the net for an image, then here, meet your new best friend…

And finally, when October rolls around, you’ll be seeing more than just the color orange in your big box stores and other retailers. There will likely be a sea of pink products all touting their support for breast cancer awareness. And while these are visually mindful, the actual idea is often poorly executed. From cancer causing chemicals in makeup found at high-end counters, to a bunch of junk that may have been constructed courtesy of child labor, it’s easy to understand why these aren’t well thought out. Check out Think Before You Pink for additional advice, donate directly to the charity of your choice, or take a peek at our list below.

1. Breast BFFL Bag

This bag is perfect for the loved one in your life after breast surgery. The bright and cheerful Breast BFFLBag has been carefully curated to contain the essentials to transition patient from hospital to home. It contains a specially-designed axillapilla comfort pillow for the underarm area, wound and drain care supplies, Bio-Oil, toiletries, KIND snack bars, and more. The Best Friends For Life Co. has several specialty bags to choose from, including: a double mastectomy bag, lumpectomy bags, chemo packs for him and her, and many more thoughtful gifts for those undergoing treatment or after surgery. The best part is that 15 percent of the proceeds from this bag can be donated to Soul Ryeders at checkout.  

2. Organic Bouquet

From the packaging to the working conditions to the product, Organic Boutique sells a wide range of certified, eco-friendly flowers. The beautiful bouquets are perfect for sending just because, or as a thoughtful get well sentiment to a patient currently recovering from treatment or surgery related to breast cancer. Choose from either the Breast Cancer Fund Yellow Roses, or the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation Sweet & Lovely Rose Bouquet, and they will donate 5 percent of the proceeds to the named charities.

3. Karma Bliss

The online meditation and healing boutique Karma Bliss is raising awareness for the month of October with the rose quartz KB Wrap Necklace, “Love”.  Representing healing, peace, and unconditional love, this beautiful piece of jewelry invites hope and faith to its wearer. Perfect as a gift, or a remembrance piece, when purchased during the month of October, 50 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Young Survival Coalition.

4. Babeland Vibes

Whether you’re going it alone or with a partner, sexual health is important, which why I’m loving this next breast cancer awareness buy. Purchase either the OhMiBod Lovelife Discover Mini Vibe in phthalate-free body safe silicone, or the vegan-friendly Sliquid Pink Lemonade lube that’s glycerin and paraben free, and Babeland will donate ten percent of the proceeds to the Young Survival Coalition.

Along with breast cancer research and early detection, remember to support and encourage loved ones to do those self-exams and take good care of one another. Boobies are replaceable, lives are not! Have you or someone you care about been affected by breast cancer? Share your stories with us on the EcoSalon Facebook page throughout the month of October and beyond.

Related on EcoSalon

10 Foods to Fight Breast Cancer
Is Cell Phone Radiation Causing Breast Cancer?
We Love Breast Cancer Awareness, We Hate Breast Cancer Commercialization

Image of Woman With Pink Balloons via Shutterstock

Image of Self-Examination via Sisters Network, Inc. – Chicago Chapter

The post Let’s Talk Ta-Tas: 4 Pink Products that Really Do Support Breast Cancer Research appeared first on EcoSalon.

Do little girls need an annual National Princess Week?

April 22, 2012 marked the start of the first annual National Princess Week, as declared by Julie Andrews, Target, and, of course, Disney. Target and Disney have teamed up to push their princess-related marketing items even harder this week and Mary Poppins is blessing it with her sweet smile and graceful benevolence. Andrews even lists 30 ways to celebrate princess week, including learning to wave properly, curtsy and exit a vehicle with grace.

What Could Anyone Have Against Pink?

In 2000, Disney stumbled onto the idea of marketing its princesses with all manner of gear (dresses, tiaras, makeup, etc.) and after a decade, the total has reached over 26,000 items and is a $4 billion a year business. But all that pink frothiness has sparked a princess war amongst parents.

Many parents see the Disney stories as harmless fairy tales that ultimately see good triumph over evil, celebrate romance and spotlight the moral goodness in the heroine. Others point out the beauty stereotype, where the heroine is impossibly beautiful and thin and many times battles an older woman who is wrinkled and mean (age = horror). Rapunzel’s mother/kidnapper was so jealous and obsessed with beauty that she held Rapunzel prisoner all her life, Snow White’s stepmother wanted her killed just because she was prettier, Ursula the sea witch (a demented, overweight character) wanted power over the ocean, Cinderella’s stepmother wanted her daughters to be admired rather than Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty was cursed by a snubbed fairy.

Parents who defend princess mania argue that it’s all make-believe, and the caricature of flawless women is part of it, as is the huge dividing line between the sexes, where the man usually plays rescuer. Can adults see past the imagery and pick out the positive message? Usually. Can young children? Some experts say no.

Peggy Orenstein is a nationally acclaimed writer about women and girls’ issues. When her previously un-media-tainted daughter went off to preschool in striped overalls carrying a Thomas the Tank Engine lunch box and transformed into a pink-obsessed princess inside of a month, she was stunned. Orenstein began seeing princess references everywhere – from the woman who gave her daughter a pink balloon (without asking if she wanted another color), to the dentist who told her to hop up into the “princess chair” so she could “sparkle her teeth.”

It’s Not About the Moral of the Story, But Who Looks the Prettiest

Orenstein’s investigation into princess mania was the basis for her book Cinderella Ate My Daughter. She visited Disney, Pottery Barn Kids and American Girl, and delved into the world of child beauty pageants and the international toy fair, and soon saw the peril behind the pink. She told The Daily Beast’s Jessica Bennett:

“’It’s not that princesses can’t expand girls’ imaginations,’ Orenstein explains. ‘But in today’s culture, princess starts to turn into something else. It’s not just being the fairest of them all, it’s being the hottest of them all, the most Paris Hilton of them all, the most Kim Kardashian of them all.’ Translation: shallow, narcissistic, slutty.”

Orenstein and others argue that the calculation-of-worth-based-on-appearance beast lurks underneath all those frills and the pop music track for preschoolers, and Disney starts the ball rolling way too early for young girls (and boys) to get the right message. Orenstein told NPR that an expert she consulted for her book told her that little brains are very malleable at those young ages, and soon, little gender differences become big gaps as they grow older.

Author Barbara Ehrenreich and educational consultant Lori Day have also excoriated princess marketing culture as the gateway to appearance becoming the dominant worry for girls at too young of an age, leading to depression and the skyrocketing rate of eating disorders in the U.S.

Miss Representation’s Jennifer Siebel Newsom points to early princess indoctrination as the start of media’s message to girls to value looks above substance and leads to media dismissal of women as people of worth. “Disney is now selling to kids as early as newborns.” Newsom adds, “your pink little onesie… reinforces gender.”

Most girls will outgrow the princess phase, but the worry is that after the princess dresses and tiaras, come more marketing products that send the same superficial message with more emphasis on body image and sexiness too early. Is Disney entirely to blame? Should parents ban Ariel from their homes? No, but Orenstein believes that awareness of the dangers will help parents strike a balance between tea parties and tee ball, between looking healthy and building confidence in abilities, not appearance. Day agrees, saying, “To all of the parents reading this who say, ‘My daughter loves to wear her Jasmine costume while she’s running around playing sports and collecting bugs,’ bravo! Moderation and balance are awesome.”

In her book, Orenstein writes,

“As with all of us, what I want for my daughter seems so simple: for her to grow up healthy, happy, and confident, with a clear sense of her own potential and the opportunity to fulfill it. Yet she lives in a world that tells her, whether she is three or thirty-three, that the surest way to get there is to look, well, like Cinderella.”

Image: Andrea Newell

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Celebrate the first blush of spring by leaving dark winter clothes behind and opting for soft hues of pink.

At first blush, it seems like spring is here to stay. Before we bring out those summer whites, let’s go through a transition period where we leave those dark solids of winter behind and instead opt for different hues of pink. There is no right or wrong, every shade of pink is equally on trend this spring. Combine your pinks with other pinks or soft beige hues for that sweet spring look that we are all so craving right now.

Hewn Ring with Ruby by Dawes Design
Jennifer Dawes’ exquisite jewelry combines her love of ancient civilizations with current cultural influences to make pieces that are modern with a distinct heirloom quality. All pieces are handmade to order at Dawes’ studio in rural Sonoma County, California. Available in 18k yellow, white or rose gold.
$1,950.00, Green With Glamour

Cosí Nero Quasi Blue Short Jumpsuit
Part of eco-fashionista Livia Firth‘s selection for shopping site Yoox, this jumpsuit by Italian designer Federica Martin Wedard sneakily looks like just a pretty dress from the front. When seen from the back, you realize it, indeed, has legs. It’s made from 100% organic cotton bio-satin and decorated with hand-painted brush strokes.
$648, Yoox

Angle Tee by Indigenous Designs
This tee by Indigenous Designs is fairly made in Peru from 100% organic cotton jersey and dyed using low impact dyes. The delicious raspberry pink color makes it the perfect match for a pair of pale pink shorts (see below). The flattering V-detail in the front gives it a twist that is part super hero part vamp. We like.
$53, Indigenous Designs

Balance Heels by Olsen Haus
One thing you don’t want to do is finish off your blushy outfit with a black pair of heels, it’s way too harsh and takes away from the soft look we’re going for. Instead, opt for a pair of nude heels like these vegan beauties from Olsen Haus. The silver strap creates a nice contrast with the cork heel without demanding too much attention.
On sale for $90, Mission Savvy

The Short Short by IOU Project
A pair of pale pink shorts is definitely a must-have this summer. The IOU Project produces unique, handmade apparel based on fabrics handwoven in India. Each IOU garment has a QR code, which you can scan to find out more about the artisans who made these shorts – probably one of the few times when transparency is a good thing when it comes to shorts.
Approx. $87.50, IOU Project

Zoya Nail Polish in Jessika
Nail polish is without a doubt one of the biggest trends right now and it’s a really fun and easy way to pull an outfit together. Just make sure you reach for the non-toxic stuff, like this nail polish from Zoya. This hue is called Jessika and is a flattering girly pink nude that’s both professional and adorable.
$8, Zoya

The post On Trend: First Blush appeared first on EcoSalon.

Last week I shared my thoughts (in a nutshell) about shelter trends for the eleventh year of the new millennium. Flamingo pink is one of the unavoidable elements of 2011. Here’s why.

The 2011 Pantone color of the year is Honeysuckle. The color reminds me of plastic pink flamingo lawn ornaments after two years of sun bleaching and fading from the iconic Florida sun. Apparently, the global authority on color thinks the hue of faded flamingos will infiltrate 2011 fashion, interiors, products, packaging, and every color-bearing surface in our world.

Here’s an excerpt from the experts at Pantone:

“Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing ‘everyday’ about it.”

As a move of self-fulfilling prophecy, you can already get a Pantone-endorsed credit card boasting the blissful tone of honeysuckle – just in case you cannot bear the thought of purchasing honeysuckle goods without the company of honeysuckle financial irresponsibility (and, yes, despite the cynicism I cannot help but want one of these handsome pieces of plastic, preferably in beeswax).

Are you having a hard time picturing this youthful and loud (some would say obnoxious) color coating inanimate objects everywhere? Not so fast, last year Pantone chose turquoise as the hue of choice. And it was everywhere.  If the color of fresh, juicy bubblegum doesn’t make your heart flutter, you’re not alone.

Maybe honeysuckle will grow on you? If not, there are plenty of other trends to love this year.

(This vivid photography is from the portfolio of Irina Graewe; her talented lens captures bold color with grace.)

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