"Bras for A Cause"

Okay, we went to the event! I have to say that we headed down with a protest mind-set. Kristan Landry actually met with the station personality, Mathew Blades, of Mix 96.9, who hosted/created the event, during the week, and he invited her to come down to the event today for the Forum / interview portion of what he was doing.

She gave him an earful this week, and he took it all graciously. She gave him one my 'not a ribbon' knots, and when we arrived, we saw it attached to the mic cord that was set up in the booth.  He told us afterward that a lot of what she had discussed with him affected the direction he took and the questions he asked during the forum (with an MDAnderson doctor, a TV personality who has had BC and another woman with BC) portion. I thought he did well, directed the comments and discussion in a real and educational direction, and I was impressed after meeting him that indeed his heart is in the right place when it comes to trying to educate and not just titillate.

Kristan and Mathew Blades

In addition to the huge wall of bras display, which was more like a giant flag made of bras, strung up by (vocab recall issue...) those tall truck thingies that reach high places, they had a Mobile Mammography unit on site, and had 24 un/under-insured women signed up to receive mammograms.

Wall of Bras?

Kristan and the guy from Sojourner Center

The 'buck per bra' pledge by local car dealership owner Larry Miller, which amounted to a $5,000 check, was donated, in full, to a local women's shelter organization, the largest in the country, Sojourner Center in Phoenix. All of the bras, estimated at over 2500, some new and some gently worn, will be professionally laundered and also donated to Sojourner Center.

After learning about the recipient of the donations, meeting Matthew and hearing that he really does care about the truth of the breast cancer story, I felt quite good about attending. I gave Matthew my Dirty Pink T-shirt, on which I spent hours last night writing quotes from all of you wonderful voices in the blog-o-sphere and cancer voice community with a Sharpie.

Me with Mathew Blades

Sure, the giant pink under-wire bra is still obnoxious, though not far off from my actual size. I did get a good shot of Kristan in front of it. The wall of bras was visible from the freeway. I feel that over all, Mathew accomplished educational awareness over boobie awareness, and donation to a worthy cause.

Kristan, shaking her head at the giant pink bra

Of course, we left before the after-work crowd came by, so it may still get more pink festering, I mean festive, as the day goes on.

All in all, this Dirty Pink Critic of the fluffy pink culture has to say, "Good Job, Mathew Blades". While I don't condone the use of titillation to attract attention, he didn't even stand on stage and say "boobies", and I do believe that the results of this event were a good thing. 

Kristan and Me