Now, that I have your attention, let’s dish a little about the most recent meme (internet lingo for “chain letter”) going around Facebook.  It seems to have started mid-week in the UK/Ireland area and by the end of the week had come crashing onto American and Canadian soil.  Women all over Facebook were randomly posting colors as their status updates.

What the hell?  It’s bad enough I need to know what the kid I barely spoke to in high school but am far too guilty to ignore as a friend request had for lunch today, now I’m seeing all these colors clogging up my status stream.  Seriously, WTH!!!!!

Further investigation (and a trip to Mashable) quickly confirmed what the trend seemed to be about.  Women were updating their status with the color of the bra they were wearing to raise awareness about breast cancer. Thousands of people who probably have been affected in some way by cancer (cause really, if you’ve never known anyone who has been affected by this horrible disease then you must not have many friends and family) taking a few seconds to do something that made them feel like they contribute.  Like a silly 3 second status update is going to do something…ANYTHING…to help eradicate this CANCER in our world.

And that’s when all the complaining began.

“This was probably just started by two college guys who wanted to see how many women they could get to update their status with the color of their bras cause they still giggle when you use the word “boobies.”  “That’s just stupid.”  “You aren’t doing anything to cure or help cancer.”

Activists, we have a serious problem.  And that problem is us.

For at least 3-5 days we had an opportunity to seize the buzz and awareness being built around breast cancer.  Which (PS) leads to buzz and awareness about ALL types of cancer.  We had an opportunity to educate and fundraise.  We had an opportunity to reach out to people we may not have even known might be passionate or at least have interest in the battle against cancer.  We had an opportunity to congratulate and engage women across Facebook to take it one step further, to make even more of a difference.

Cause you know what…each one of those STUPID women who updated their STUPID status updates with a STUPID color for a STUPID reason contributed to getting us riled up enough to talk about cancer.  We talked about it on Facebook, we talked about it on Twitter, we talked about it at the office and at Happy Hour.

And instead of celebrating the chance to talk to people about cancer awareness (cause that sort of thing doesn’t always just lend itself to daily conversation) we bitched about how it was dumb and not good enough.  We destroyed and cynically condemned a thing that could have been a powerful instrument in the war against cancer.

Why do we tear down other people’s ideas and causes as not being “good enough” instead of celebrating each tiny triumph?

While you are chewing on that, I’m gonna leave you with a couple links to some GREAT cancer sites and organizations.  Plus a really cool video for breast cancer awareness that makes my heart happy because sometimes the greatest weapon we have against any dark force is love and happiness.

• American Cancer Society – If you want to learn about cancer, join the fight against cancer or find out how to get involved locally, check these folks out
• Susan G. Komen For The Cure – If you want to learn more about breast cancer, if think you might have/do have/are a survivor of breast cancer, if you know someone who does have breast cancer, if you want to buy pink golf balls to support fundraising and cancer research for breast cancer this is the place to go.
• Relay For Life – “The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease.”
• Elisa Doucette’s Relay For Life Page – Yep, I am a PROUD supporter and participant in the South Portland (Maine) Relay for Life.  One of the most amazing friends I have actually chairs the entire event, even though I’m quite sure it is what has caused his hair to grey more rapidly.  So visit my site and make a donation.  $5 doesn’t sound like much but LOTS of $5 donations add up pretty fast. If you don’t want to find this post again closer to the event (June 2010) I’ll have that little Relay For Life icon on Ophelia’s Webb thru August 2010.

*** In case you were wondering, I don’t even own a red silk with black lace bra.  My bra color today is white…I know…I’m a seductress)

Photo Credit: Getty Images: Karan Kapoor

What are you going to do to keep the Holiday Spirit with you throughout 2010?

Song Credit: (It Really Is) A Wonderful Life – By Mindy Smith (Get it for FREE at Amazon.com

I sometimes worry that I’m not a “good enough” feminist.

Sounds crazy, I know.  I mean really, where is this imaginary bar that measures one ability/aptitude/competence as a feminst.

I recently entered into a fantastic strategic partnership with a womens’ organization whose message and activist work align intrinsically with my beliefs.  “The Maine Women’s Fund is a philanthropic and leadership community for women in Maine. [Their] community enables women to use their vision, voice and resources to create lasting change for everyone.”  As part of my business partnership with the Maine Women’s Fund I became their social media manager.

Funny, the whole thing started by talking about a mentoring program and me thinking that it would be the coolest thing to write a little for them.  After sitting and chatting with one of them I let her know that I had looked at their marketing and relationship models, and felt there was a serious gap in their online and social presence.  Next thing I knew I was signing the contract.

With all this involvement in such a strong women’s organization you’d think that I might have my act together as a feminist.  Yet whenever I meet other feminists to chat about our feminist beliefs I am overwhelmed.  And I am not a woman who is easily overwhelmed nor do I usually back down.

This a problem I see with many activist causes and social change initiatives.  While passionate about my beliefs and in general a kind and compassionate person, I am far too analytical and discerning to blindly tote an immovable and concrete “line.”  I listen to all sides of an argument before forming decisions based in pure logical and scientific method.  I do not believe that telling people they are wrong and narrow-minded will sway them.  I grow tired of sensationalized propaganda and advertising.

And somehow when I talk to other feminists, especially more mature and sometimes older feminists, I’m patted on the head and told essentially “That’s cute but you’ll learn.”  As if because I’m young/mostly rational/seemingly uncaring I’m not doing something right.  That I have something to learn about how to be a feminist “the right way.”  That feminism – ANY activism – is a cookie cutter model that people either adhere to or don’t fit in.

I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in some pretty great movements in social media directed specifically at identifying the unique opportunities each of us has to institute lasting social change.  And I am excited to be a co-creator of yet another, Young Professionals for Social Change.  This is a Twitter chat that I co-moderate on Thursday nights at 9 PM EST with Akhila Kolisetty.  She describes it AWESOMELY well here.  I do hope that if you are reading my blog you will be inspired to stop by and continue the great conversations that have been start around the internet.

My work with the woman at the Maine Women’s Fund has taught me to be myself, and let my dissenting yet hopeful voice be heard.  We need to bring that to others.  To let young professionals know that they are important and pivotal instruments of social change.  To know that we don’t necessarily have to be working full-time for non-profits to be passionate about change.  And to discuss, learn from and grow in our social changing lives with our fellow young professionals.

Photo Credit: Getty Images: Altrendo Images