More Than Virtue Signalling

Every October, pink ribbons, charity runs, and awareness campaigns appear across social media, workplaces, and communities. For some, this surge of visibility feels hollow - little more than virtue signalling, a trend that lets people feel good without making a real difference. But dismissing Breast Cancer Awareness Month as pointless overlooks the very real and practical reasons it exists.

Here’s why this month matters, even beyond the slogans and pink ribbons.

1. Awareness is About Action, Not Just Aesthetics

Yes, pink has become a symbol. But symbols spark conversations. Without awareness campaigns, far fewer people would learn about the risks of breast cancer, the importance of early detection, or the challenges survivors face. Those conversations can, and do, lead to real outcomes: a friend booking a screening, a family member recognizing symptoms early, or a workplace introducing better health benefits.

2. It Highlights Gaps in Healthcare and Support

One of the lesser-seen benefits of awareness campaigns is the attention they bring to inequities. Not everyone has the same access to screening or treatment, and raising awareness forces those issues into public conversation. When companies and governments feel pressure to respond, policies and resources follow. That’s not empty signalling. It’s change driven by visibility.

3. It’s Not Just About Money

Critics often point to fundraising fatigue, asking, Where does all the money go? It’s a fair question, and scepticism is healthy. But awareness month isn’t just about raising funds. It’s about education, support, and visibility for patients, survivors, and caregivers. Many campaigns emphasise free resources, not financial donations. Things like mobile screening units, workplace seminars, and mental health hotlines.

4. Survivors and Patients Feel Seen

Imagine going through a breast cancer diagnosis and feeling invisible, as though nobody around you understands the depth of what you’re experiencing. Awareness month may not solve every problem, but for many patients and survivors, it is a moment of recognition. The world takes notice of their reality, validates their struggle, and offers solidarity. To dismiss that as “virtue signalling” is to dismiss the human need for community during life’s hardest battles.

5. Awareness Has Already Saved Lives

The biggest counterargument to “this is a waste of time” is simple: lives have been saved because of awareness campaigns. When people are reminded, sometimes repeatedly, of the importance of early detection, they act. Early detection dramatically improves survival rates. That is a measurable, life-saving impact.

6. It Creates Space for Conversations Beyond Cancer

Ironically, many of the criticisms of awareness campaigns (like commercialisation and performative gestures) are themselves worth talking about. Breast Cancer Awareness Month sparks these debates, and in doing so, it challenges charities, businesses, and communities to do better. That’s not a weakness - it’s progress.

7. Normalising Breast Cancer Conversations Opens Discussion For All Cancers

Talking openly about breast cancer helps to break long-standing stigmas around illness and mortality. When discussions about breast cancer become part of everyday conversation, it becomes easier to talk about other cancers too - prostate, testicular, lung, bowel, and beyond. This normalisation reduces fear, increases education, and encourages earlier detection across the board. Awareness of one type of cancer can create ripple effects that benefit everyone.

So, Is It Just Virtue Signalling?

If Breast Cancer Awareness Month was only about wearing pink, posting hashtags, and moving on, then yes, it would be shallow. But the reality is more complex. Behind the colour and the slogans are millions of people whose lives are touched by breast cancer. Awareness month is not perfect, but it is far from pointless.

It saves lives through education, pushes for equity in healthcare, offers solidarity to patients, and keeps pressure on institutions to act. That’s more than signalling; it’s meaningful impact, even if it doesn’t always grab headlines.