Skinny Women and Good Mothers: The Rhetoric of Risk, Control, and Culpability in the Production of Knowledge about Breast Cancer

The past few years have witnessed an explosive proliferation of information about breast cancer in the popular media. Part of this increased visibility stems from the growing awareness of the number of women affected by this disease-the National Cancer Institute estimates that one in eight American women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.' Inseparable from this growing consciousness is an insurgence of grassroots activism. Breast cancer survivors,2 healthcare providers, scientists, and legislators have formed coalition groups in order to lobby for an increase in research funding as well as changes in the direction of research. These groups have utilized the media as an effective tool to raise awareness about the disease and to invite participation from the general population. For instance, in 1992 the National Breast Cancer Coalition encouraged women to write letters demanding more funding for breast cancer research. Expecting 175,000 letters, they received 600,000 in six weeks and presented them to Congress and the White House. After intensive lobbying, in 1993 Congress approved a $325 million increase for breast cancer research.