All you breast men (and women) out there, this one’s for you.
MTV Canada’s Aliya-Jasmine Sovani has come under fire recently for her appearance in (and production and art direction of) the following controversial ”Save the Boobs!” campaign in support of Rethink Breast Cancer’s annual fundraiser, Boobyball.
Now, when I say “come under fire”, I’m not fucking around. The PSA’s been featured, dissected and debated by the likes of the View, ABC News, Good Morning America and CNN (to name a few), being called sexist, distasteful and downright offensive.
Some claim it’s simply an opportunity for Aliya-Jasmine to flaunt her curvaceous physique (I say, as I sit in my Liz Lemon-esque flannel pajamas); appealing to the lowest common denominator by making a cancer awareness ad seem more like a cheap beer commercial or soft core porn, while others claim that the campaign is merely doing its job by bringing much-needed attention to a cause that’s in constant need of support.
Arguments have been made that it’s setting the feminist movement back centuries; that it’s pathetic that women still have to cater to boob fetishes and maintain sex appeal while addressing a serious issue. Others have argued that the ad is simply a social commentary; that it uses irony to convey the urgency of a breast cancer cure, since, well, we all have them, right?
I say who gives a shit? Sure, it appeals to men who wait with baited breath for the arrival of their Maxim and Playboy subscriptions, but if watching Mad Men has taught me anything, it’s that the purpose of advertising is to get attention and create controversy – exactly what this ad has done.
Sure, it may be an opportunity for her to embrace her inner exhibitionist, but if anyone’s caught Aliya-Jasmine’s counter-arguments, you’d know that her cousin was recently diagnosed with the disease, and this is the star/director/producer’s way of bringing attention to both cancer and its fundraising campaign.
Any publicity is good publicity. Testimonies of doctors, experts and survivors are essential, but so is the buzz and the panache of good marketing. Isn’t this all for a great cause, anyway? I mean, as long as people are sitting up and paying attention to a pressing issue, who gives a flying fuck how that attention was garnered? Cancer awareness is a collaborative effort that requires the work and reception of society as a whole – if we’re so divided about an ad (whose shock value pales in comparison to Peta marketing, I should point out), then cancer still wins. Then everyone loses.
“Save the Boobs!” is the message. Whether it’s because you have boobs or want to motorboat them, it doesn’t matter. Lowest common denominator or not, the ad is working – we’re talking about it. Now let’s stop talking about it and work to save the god damn boobs.
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