Wear your awareness
Ever since my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago, in the middle of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I’ve had a distinct aversion to the annual October onslaught of corporate pink ribbon campaigns. So I was particularly happy to discover Brooklyn-based artist Jacqueline Skaggs’ DIY alternative, the Rebel1in8 necklace.
In 2004, following her second breast cancer diagnosis since the age of thirty-six, the then uninsured Skaggs hit upon the idea of making necklaces to help pay her medical bills. Using smashed Rebel Beer caps for pendants, she strung together eight beads—seven in one color and one of another—to visually represent a woman’s one-in-eight chance of developing breast cancer during her lifetime.
So if buying pink dish soap, deodorant, or yogurt isn’t sparking any meaningful dialogue, check out Skaggs’ Rebel1in8 Etsy shop (or try your hand at making your own “awareness” goods). Her recycled materials may be simple, but her statement is strong.
