Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The practice of a company using support of breast cancer-related charities to promote itself and its products or services.
  • noun LGBT The practice of presenting something, particularly a state, as gay-friendly in order to soften or downplay aspects of its reputation considered negative.
  • verb Present participle of pinkwash.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Blend of pink and whitewashing.

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Examples

Comments

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  • "Pinkwashing is a term used for unhealthy products that go pink for a short time, usually during breast cancer awareness month. The companies slap a pink ribbon on the product’s packaging and promise to donate a small fraction to breast cancer research." --"Curing Cancer with Fried Chicken?", mnn.com

    May 2, 2010

  • Reminds of my girlfriend's washing machine in Italy a few years ago. Even if you weren't washing anything red, white things usually came out pink. It was quite odd.

    May 3, 2010

  • Was it breast cancer awareness month, perhaps?

    May 4, 2010

  • I'll have no truck with such products. Buying a Diet Coke over a Diet Pepsi because they'll give one penny out of $1,000 to breast cancer research doesn't make any sense and just pisses me off. I guess it's better than nothing, and does "raise awareness" (a phrase I hate), but I'd rather give my $1.50 to breast cancer research and skip the stupid product in the first place.

    May 4, 2010

  • Amen to that. I drew the line when I went to my favorite bagel shop and they had (wait for it) pink bagels.

    I never quite trusted them after that.

    May 14, 2010

  • That, reesetee, is decidedly horkworthy. (Apologies to mollusque for using that word, but I use it advisedly.)

    May 14, 2010

  • Alternative use of the term.

    July 6, 2010