The infamous cancer ribbon

Have you ever wondered where the cancer ribbon originated? Nadia Booysen shares her research.

It all started in the early mid-1900s, when the yellow ribbon was originally used in a United States military marching song, Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree. This was inspired by the wife of a hostage held in Iran from 1979-1981. She used the yellow ribbon to show support for hostages and to remind others of their service to their country. The symbol evolved later during the Gulf War into a reminder of all men and women serving their country abroad; this is according to Richard Cook from BBC News.

A decade later, AIDS activists turned the yellow ribbon red, and from then on every charitable health cause had one. It became so popular that New York Times referred the year 1992 as The year of the ribbon.

The specific meaning behind the ribbon depends on its colour/colours. Many causes often share colours.

The symbol of the ribbon

The ribbon is a symbol of awareness and support, which could be viewed as supporting somebody with an illness in the same way relatives of cancer patients often shave their head (but less drastic). It has become such a widely known phenomenon that it hardly needs any introduction.

Pink for breast cancer

Charlotte Haley was a 68-year-old woman, the granddaughter, sister, and mother of women who had battled breast cancer. Her peach-coloured ribbon loops were handmade in her dining room. Each set of five came with a card saying, “The National Cancer Institute’s annual budget is $1.8 billion, only 5% goes for cancer prevention. Help us wake up our legislators and America by wearing this ribbon.”

This call for action was quickly followed by a reaction from Self Magazine and the editor, Liz Smith, who wanted to join forces. This movement drew the attention of Estée Lauder who felt strongly about femininity and nurturing of females which led to the evolution of the pink ribbon for breast cancer.

How many cancer ribbons are there?

Anna Shaefer and Christina Shun from Healthline predict that there is an average of 40-50 major cancer type ribbons, but if you look at subtypes and variations the list can get to around 100 different colours.

The cancer ribbon isn’t from one ancient tradition; it’s a modern symbol that took off in the 1990s. It grew out of earlier uses of coloured ribbons for solidarity and became especially prominent with the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness. The goal, however, remains: awareness, support, and care for all.

Nadia Booysen is a cancer survivor and an oncology counsellor (BSW Hons (Social Work) (UP), BA Hons (Psychology) (Unisa), PGDip (PallMed) (UCT)) in private practice. Serving in oncology is not a profession to her, but rather a way of life. She has a keen interest in mental health and believes that it’s an underestimated and stigmatised topic.

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