Posts Tagged ‘Kathy Griffin’

In March of 2000, Katie Couric underwent a colonoscopy on the Today Show. Her hope was that, by televising the procedure, she could help to raise awareness of colon cancer (the disease that had claimed the life of her husband a few years earlier) and encourage others to seek out the procedure. According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, her plan worked. “Researchers conclude[d] that Couric had a significant effect on the public’s willingness to undergo preventive health care for colorectal cancer.”

A little over ten years later, another celebrity has tried to follow in Couric’s footsteps. Comedian Kathy Griffin decided to attempt to raise awareness of cervical cancer by undergoing a pap smear. In public. Poolside (because, um… why not?).

The event was also filmed, to be included as part of Griffin’s ongoing Bravo reality show, “My Life on the D-List.” Griffin had this to say about the event:

“I started talking to girlfriends of mine, my age and younger, and I just can’t believe how many women are afraid to get a pap smear or they forget or they’ve gone 10 years without doing one. The message is, if you see me doing something so outrageous – some may say repulsive – that should make it easier for you to pick up the phone and call your doctor and go get one in the privacy of your own doctor’s office.”

Griffin has a history of taking part in self-serving publicity stunts, and it’s not difficult to see this event in the same light. After all, this is a fairly attention-grabbing thing to do… especially to do it outside, with a crowd of people and television cameras present… well, it only serves to build press coverage and buzz for Griffin’s show. And yet…

Even though this event absolutely reeks of being a publicity stunt… well, it’s working. And that’s not a bad thing. Because of the public pap smear, Griffin has been written up in the Washington Post, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Huffington Post, and countless other blogs, just to name a few. Which means that Griffin’s goal of getting people to talk about pap smear is actually working. Even if she’s doing it in a way that benefits herself and her show… she’s still doing something to get people talking about an important women’s health issue. And even if her tone is somewhat irreverent (see the above photo and the “slogan” Griffin chose for the event), the fact that she’s bringing to the forefront a subject that isn’t talked about much in public is impressive.

I have no idea if Griffin’s public pap smear will have an impact in the same way that Katie Couric’s colonoscopy did. But it is entirely possible that, in a few years, researchers will be talking about the “Griffin effect” on an increase in pap smear screenings in much the same way that they talk about the “Couric effect.” And no matter what selfish reasons Griffin may have for doing this (and the cynical side of me insists that she most have a few), if it causes even a handful of women to get a pap smear.. well, then it’s worth it, right?

Am I being to easy on Griffin (or, alternatively, too hard)? What do you think?