Morast: Time to think beyond pink

• Adam Levine

Adam Levine of Maroon 5 performs Jan. 14 at the 16th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards in Los Angeles. Associated Press

Talk about it

Earlier this month Adam Levine, frontman for the rock band Maroon 5, shocked the world’s prudes when images were released featuring him posing nude, with his girlfriend’s hands reaching up to cover his kibbles and bits.

Almost instantly people were buzzing about the usual things: Why does Levine have a tattoo of an eagle diving into his abdomen? Why are all rock stars skinnier than the girls they date? Is there a Maroon 4? And, right on cue, some theorized how this photo was going to ruin our children or society or both.

Lost in the hubbub was that the purpose of the photo shoot for the UK version of Cosmo magazine was to educate men about testicular and prostate cancers.

Not quite sure how a naked, tattooed rocker in a women’s magazine conveys the message “Men everywhere, get checked for testicular and prostate,” but I love the intent.

And it’s about time.

I applaud the supreme awareness campaign that’s washed the world in pink during the past decade (or, at least, it feels like a decade) as the breast cancer coalition reminded everyone without colorblindness that breast cancer kills.

It’s been a brilliant campaign, and I’m sure making our brains think pink saved more lives than we’ll know. But somewhere along the line, cancer awareness became a monochromatic affair.

“Think Pink” became shorthand for “let’s band together to fight cancer,” despite the fact that the message excludes virtually every other form of cancer, and most of the population carrying Y chromosomes.

Again, I have to emphasize this so I’m not lynched by women with pink ribbons on their shirts: Think Pink has been a great campaign. But when the male-dominated National Football League decides to raise awareness for breast cancer awareness over something like testicular cancer, it’s time to start thinking about some other colors.

Like purple for pancreatic cancer.

Or light blue for prostate cancer.

Or violet for testicular cancer.

Even brown for colon cancer – an aside: Whoever assigned brown to this cancer should be fired instantly.

The PC Police love to remind us that “we don’t live in a black-and-white world.” Well, we don’t live in a pink-on-pink world either.

We shouldn’t forget about breast cancer – ever. But we need to think about all the colors of our cancer rainbow.

And if any other of those off-pink cancer awareness groups need a model to raise awareness Adam Levine style, call me up. Just be ready for some love handles.

Readers can reach Forum Features Editor Robert Morast at (701) 241-5518

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