Life Without Breast. A New Tribe of Scarred Breast Cancer Heroes
Breast & Cervical Cancer Initiative
Life Without Breast. A New Tribe of Scarred Breast Cancer Heroes
July 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment
“Breast cancer is not a Pink Ribbon”. Please say that out loud and tell it to your friends…”BREAST CANCER IS NOT A PINK RIBBON”.
The diagnosis of breast cancer is a chilling experience not only to the
sufferers themselves but also the families and friends around them.
The attention breast cancer get is high yet not high enough that we need
to not only talk about the pink ribbons but also address what breast
cancer treatment is all about. It’s time to take the bull by its horns!
Breast
is the greatest symbol of femininity in all mammals. In many mammals,
the only way to tell the physical difference between a male and a female
is the mammary glands AKA breast, or udder in four-legged animals.
Breast cancer specifically affects the greatest symbol of femininity
tearing down and shattering many women definition of beauty. Cancer
treatment, even worse takes away the most prominent feminine features of
human beings like hair, eye lashes, breast, skin and nails.Breast reconstruction after mastectomy in breast cancer treatment is not only physically painful but also emotionally and sexually destructive. Women value breast as one of their strongest attraction points for men. This explains why we spend billions of dollars every year to augment breast so as to look “HOT” and appealing to men
I was searching Google on breast cancer survival stories and I noticed that very few stories talk about the emotional pain women go through during their breast cancer fight. Very few breast cancer survival stories address the issue of mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgeries that only happen to well insured and those whose condition allows.
I
came across the SCAR project by David Jay, a fashion photographer who
has committed his photography into re-empowering women after mastectomy.
David is a true hero to me because as a man, he has taken the greatest
stigma of feminine beauty and used it to show breast cancer survivors
that they can be beautiful even after breast cancer surgery
Breasts
are normally obscured in non-pornographic photography/media but David
defied the norms and used his photography to show how women look after
mastectomy. Rather than demoralizing, David’s photography is empowering
and creating a new tribe where the world will view breast differently.In many situations total radical mastectomy needs to be done to save breast cancer sufferer life. In some occasions, even reconstruction may not be possible. David Jay’s scar project has proven against the normal expectations that by photographing women for the scar project is not only helping women regain the courage, confidence and positive view of their femininity and sexuality but also empowering the public to view them as beautiful again.
To
me, these SCAR project pictures show a new shift in society’s
acceptance of a tribe of scarred, breastless and one breasted women. It
is a high time we start accepting SCARRED women are just as beautiful
since 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in
their lives. This new tribe inspired by David is growing and will at
some point in future became the norm, just the same way we no longer see
pregnant women as unattractive. This exposure will help women to accept
what we might not be able to change. Perhaps fashion designers will
soon start making bras for women with one breast and accept them as
“normal.” What if not having breasts or having one breast became
acceptable? What if mastectomies and scarred breast is seen as seen as a
symbol of honor and strength? What if the society could tone down the
breast obsession with breasts just a little bit and appreciate David
work on SCAR project for pioneering the new “normal” for breast cancer
fighters and survivors?Share this article on Facebook to appreciate David Jay’s Work.
Please check out the SCAR Project at http://thescarproject.org/ for more photos and information.
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