Apparently, the new school fad is to walk around wearing bracelets that poke fun at women with breast cancer. Vendors such as Tilly’s and Spencer’s are selling bracelets that say “I love boobies” and are donating a portion of the money earned to the Keep A Breast Foundation.

Don’t get me wrong, donating to charity and cancer research is absolutely fine and a great way to help out those in need. But should we be raising money by buy- ing bracelets that should be offensive to every woman? I would feel so much prouder to walk up to the store counter and hand them a $50 bill, asking them to please put that money toward the same fund as the bracelets rather than walking around promoting women’s bodies from a shallow perspective.

Boys get both sides of interest in their favor when purchasing. They donate to a cancer fund and can show off their “manly side” with pride — boys laugh and joke while still performing a good deed. Girls, however, have no excuse. The bracelets are demeaning and turn the seriousness of the matter into a joke.They also portray the same kind of message as the 2007 “Save the Tatas” campaign. The sense of humor that both campaigns try to convey is simply casting the issue in a not- so-funny light. As a teacher once told me: Unless everybody is laughing at the joke, it’s not a joke.