FLATTIES: Our Bodies Are Beautiful!
March 11, 2020
I recently received this message that made my heart swoon:
“Visibility is a commitment that requires bold steadfast courage and humility. Your work brings to the forefront body validation, beauty and wellness after breast cancer. A glory of survival that might otherwise not be known to the woman herself, or experienced by those who bare witness. Our stories, your story, our voices, our lives and our healthcare is improving at the hands of change makers like you! It’s with immense gratitude we honor you at the Flattie Ball!!”
…and yes, so for this I braved the airways in the middle of a Pandemic armed with hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes and flew across country to LA. to attend this fabulous event. I’m so honored and proud to have carried this plaque home with me (armed with more hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes) where it is now on display in my Kingston, New York studio….
Thank you to Flat Retreat and to Flat Closure Now, for recognizing the work that I have done and continue to do. And thank you to all the beautiful souls that have made yourselves vulnerable to my lens and shared the scars that have been written on your bodies… because it is you, my muses that have made this all possible.
I truly believe that women undergoing breast cancer surgery should have all options explained and available to them in the crazy vortex that happens after a breast cancer diagnosis. Choosing flat is a valid and healthy option… CHOICE and autonomy of our own bodies is a feminist issue. Women should not feel pressured into reconstruction, be forced to visit a psychiatrist should they choose to go flat… or be left with fat pockets by a surgeon who has overridden their request for flat closure (a clean scar with no skin saving). They also should NOT ever be told that no-one would want to date them if they choose flat… and they shouldn’t be bullied on their decision to explant.
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