If you’ve ever seen someone wear a tiny pink ribbon in October, you’ve seen a symbol that changed how the world talks about breast cancer. But behind that small ribbon lies a powerful story, one that began with quiet acts of courage and grew into a global movement of awareness, hope, and, at times, controversy.
Before the 1980s, breast cancer was something many women didn’t talk about openly. The topic was wrapped in silence and stigma, often treated as a private shame rather than a public health issue. Even in hospitals, patients rarely heard the words “breast cancer” spoken aloud. That began to change when survivors and women’s health advocates started to demand transparency, better research, and dignity for women facing the disease.
The pink ribbon as we know it began in the early 1990s. A woman named Charlotte Haley, who survived breast cancer, made peach-colored ribbons by hand to raise attention to how little money was going into prevention research. Her idea caught on and soon after, companies like Estée Lauder and The Susan G. Komen Foundation adopted a new version of her symbol: the pink ribbon. It became the universal sign of breast cancer awareness.
By the mid-1990s, the pink ribbon had become a universal sign of solidarity and awareness. It encouraged open conversations, early screening, and national campaigns that helped millions of women get diagnosed earlier and live longer. For the first time, the world began to see breast cancer not as a hidden illness, but as a shared human struggle. Hospitals launched awareness drives, governments funded mammogram programs, and survivors began sharing their stories with courage instead of shame.
Yet, as the movement grew, so did the debate around it. Some critics began to question whether the symbol had lost part of its original purpose. Some argued that it became too commercial, used by brands to sell products during “Breast Cancer Awareness Month” without meaningful contributions to research or patient care. Others worry it focuses too much on optimism and not enough on the real struggles patients face.
Beyond its color and campaigns, the ribbon stands for something more profound, the courage of women who refuse to be silent. It honors those who have survived, those still fighting, and those who were lost but never forgotten. For young people in Ethiopia, its message remains deeply relevant: talk about your health, learn the signs, and encourage the women in your life to get screened early. Because awareness isn’t just about wearing pink, it’s about compassion, honesty, and the collective strength to protect one another.
Writer- Bezawit Elias
English
Amharic