Being proudly asymmetric means I’m living authentically.

JENNY SKINNER

After my mastectomy in Sept 2022 I didn’t give much thought to wearing a prosthesis because it was just what you did to look ‘normal’ and my focus was on getting through the rest of the treatment. It was when the chemo and radiotherapy ended that I started to have a problem with how unnatural the prosthetics looked and how uncomfortable I felt wearing them. I tried a few different types but none felt good. The last one I tried was supposed to be a game changer and in a way it was, it ended up being thrown across the room in anger and I ended up sobbing on the bathroom floor.

I realised nothing was going to replace my missing breast. That began the process of not just accepting but embracing and loving my new shape.

I took inspiration from Kintsugi, the Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with gold, the scars are not hidden but transformed into something new and beautiful.

I am not defined by the cancer diagnosis or the mastectomy but they are an integral part of my history and of who I am today, to hide this feels dishonest. I am not ashamed or embarrassed by my body, I think it’s incredible its been through so much trauma and has recovered magnificently. I don’t want to wear something that makes me feel physically uncomfortable just to fit in with what society says a woman should look like. Being proudly asymmetric means I’m living authentically.