What Does A Pink Porch Light Mean?

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Each October, you expect to see the the usual, spooky Halloween decorations and colors like orange and black. But you might also notice various shades of pink pop up throughout the month. As much as you may enjoy this fun change during the fall season, there's a deeper significance behind this light. Just like the red lights on a porch spreads awareness about women's heart health and golden porch lights show support to kids battling cancer, the pink lights during October show solidarity towards people affected by breast cancer.

October is observed as the National Breast Cancer Awareness month to show support toward those battling the disease, as well as a time to highlight the importance of screening (at about 40 years of age) and prevention through mammograms. According to the CDC, breast cancer is the second most widespread cancer in American women. It's also the second major cancer behind women casualties in the United States. So, to make people more aware about breast cancer, the Shine a Light on Breast Cancer campaign came into existence. This is also why showing off pink in October gained momentum.

In 1985, the American Cancer Society joined hands with Imperial Chemical Industries to spread awareness about early detection of breast cancer in women. Their efforts gained recognition after the former first lady of the United States and breast cancer survivor, Betty Ford, came forward to speak about early detection and prevention of this disease through mammograms. The color pink, however, got associated with this cause in 1991 when Charlotte Hayley, a mother, sister, and granddaughter of breast cancer survivors, began to spread awareness with a peach-colored, hand-made ribbon. This was to make people aware, at the time of her action, of the small percentage of funds allocated by the National Cancer Institute towards cancer prevention (about 5% of their $1.8 billion budget).

This ribbon idea attracted many corporate eyes, like Estée Lauder, but Hayley declined to collaborate with them. So, independently in 1992, Estée Lauder launched the pink ribbon (instead of peach) to spread awareness related to breast cancer. Ever since, pink has been associated with breast cancer awareness. Now, in October, people across America dress themselves in shades of pink in solidarity. Plus, they started to remove their porch light cover and change the bulb to support the cause. In case you don't want to make permanent changes or swap out the bulb frequently, a pink hanging lantern, like Tim&Lin's Pink Paper Decorative Lanterns on Amazon, can be a good alternative.