October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so its time to grab life by the boobs. This is an opportunity to talk openly about women’s bodies in a way that isn’t always seen year-round (although a day, week, or month should never be the sole occasion to have these conversations). The less we talk about these things, the less comfortable we are in our own bodies. It’s time to myth bust common beliefs surrounding breasts.
Myth: Only women can get breast cancer…
False!
Everyone! Regardless of gender, any person with breast tissue and EVERYONE is at risk for breast cancer, therefore, should perform a breast exam. While some doctors may do so at annual appointments, you should still do one yourself.
Myth: Young people don’t need to check their breasts, they aren’t at risk.
False!
Although it is not as common, young people are at risk. Even if you believe you are low-risk, it is important for your overall health to be proactive. Breast exams can reveal more about your health than just cancer.
Myth: You don’t need to regularly check your breasts
False!
It is recommended that you perform breast exams monthly on top of those provided at appointments by physicians. If you have any concerns, Planned Parenthood offers free screenings.
How should you perform a breast exam?
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Ericka Hart, breast cancer survivor and educator, created this video with a caption of important reminders for Breast Cancer Awareness Month that I highly recommend reading.
What To Look Out For:
Artwork by Meg Garrod
However, we should never limit our conversations to a holiday or event. When I was a freshman in high school, I found a lump in my breast. I didn’t have the vocabulary or understanding of my own body to come to terms with what was happening. I was scared and confused and even convinced myself that the lump was just my rib. It was almost two weeks before I told my mom, and a month more before I could tell my best friend. Why? I didn’t know how to talk about my body. I was scared of the elephant in the room, more aptly, the boobs on my chest. They never felt like my own because I was never given the space or the vocabulary to have an open dialogue about my body outside of a pink ribbon.
When a woman’s body, or any body, is presented as something to be restricted and censored, then so is our ability to live in them. The fact that the exclusive time I could freely mention breasts was in the context of cancer contributed greatly to this. I spent years justifying the existence of my body by what was wrong with it. (At this point, I would like to note that I had surgery the next August, which revealed the tumor was benign.)
However, this is hardly a unique experience. The same issues perpetuate disability, chronic illness, mental health, and so on. Society works to create a stigma surrounding whatever is perceived as physically or mentally atypical by providing limited platforms to get to know these conditions as more than something that needs to be fixed.
Coming out of this, I was introduced to having those conversations. While it wasn’t until senior year that I began to learn what power I had over my body, I’m no longer scared of it. In the spirit of body liberation and lifting that censorship of bodies, I am always willing to have these conversations, or wear my rainbow “boob pants.”
In the end, your body is so much than what can be censored or treated. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, or any awareness holiday for that matter, remember that in no way does your body and health create an absolute definition of you.