Where is the purple blender?

October is what?
Within a month or so, domestic violence organizations across the US will start preparing for Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October).

People who do not work for shelters, crisis centers, and government agencies probably don’t know that October is domestic violence awareness month or that purple is the recognized color for domestic violence awareness. We don’t see purple yogurt containers, purple cereal, or purple blenders. Last year, I didn’t see a single purple blender.

The awareness events that I have attended and planned throughout the years seem to have the proverbial “preaching to the choir” audience. To overcome this phenomenon, we have to overcome the image of what it means to promote awareness of domestic violence.

Who has a good awareness model?
Breast cancer awareness is phenomenal. Breast cancer went from being a secret no one would discuss to being represented by pink everything. Breast cancer awareness is about fighting a disease. With domestic violence, advocates are seen as fighting a person, the abuser. Building support behind seeing an abuser as a problem is difficult. People have an easier time agreeing that a cancer causing cell is bad. Everyone can agree that cancer cells need to be eliminated. Everyone cannot agree that abusers are the root cause of domestic violence and that their behavior needs to be eliminated.

No merit badges
If a person attends a breast cancer awareness event, they are not automatically viewed as a survivor of breast cancer. The person is probably seen as an ally, advocate, and supporter of ending breast cancer. If the person is a survivor of breast cancer, they are to be applauded and praised. People honor what breast cancer survivors have experienced.

If a person attends a domestic violence awareness event, they often worry that others are going to see them as a victim of abuse. Survivors of abuse are not applauded and praised in our communities. Frequently they are considered stupid or weak. People often wonder about their sanity, why they would pick an abuser or stay with an abuser. There are no merit badges for victims of abuse.

Symbolism
If a person wears a pink ribbon, they are automatically recognized as a supporter of ending breast cancer. I wear a purple ribbon in October and only people in the battered women’s movement know what the ribbon means. It is not a commonly recognized symbol. A symbol only serves its purpose if people recognize it. Everyone knows that a red octagon means to stop your car. Since so few people know what the purple ribbon stands for, it is virtually meaningless.

Purple blenders
As a movement, we are a long way from a purple blender. We’ll know we’ve reached the pinnacle of awareness when a corporation wants to market a purple blender to raise money for domestic violence intervention and prevention.