Breast Cancer Is Not A Pink Ribbon

February 10, 2012 4:16 AM

The SCAR Project is a series of large-scale portraits of young breast cancer survivors shot by fashion photographer David Jay. (NSFW)
posted by gman (19 comments total)

What gorgeous, gorgeous photographs.
posted by jfwlucy at 4:44 AM on February 10, 2012

Wow. Amazingly powerful and moving.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:52 AM on February 10, 2012

The portraits certainly portray the angst and agony of cancer; but I can't help but think that a different style of portraiture could present the happier side of survival of these women. I guess what I would like to see is these same photos juxtaposed to these same women fully clothed, smiling and in flattering lights and color.
posted by rmmcclay at 5:04 AM on February 10, 2012

I guess what I would like to see is these same photos juxtaposed to these same women fully clothed, smiling and in flattering lights and color.

I like the fact that they were willing to bare their scars, share their pain and become stronger for it. They've been through hell and survived and it is indescribably beautiful that we get to see that.

They can chose to smile whether they want to or not.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:37 AM on February 10, 2012 [5 favorites]

Those are really powerful, and complicated.
posted by Forktine at 5:56 AM on February 10, 2012

rmmcclay, as always, it's a question of taste, but I think you may be confusing "pretty" and "beautiful". I think these portraits are beautiful because of the scars, not despite them. They display hope and determination as well as what you see as angst and agony. They reveal layers of truth and experience instead of covering up and flattering. But hey, eye of the beholder, etc.
posted by likeso at 6:00 AM on February 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

That was incredibly moving. Beautiful, strong people and I'm a better person for having seen that.
posted by MustardTent at 6:23 AM on February 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Very moving and personalizes something that's only been very abstract to me before.
posted by k5.user at 6:30 AM on February 10, 2012

I was all set to despise the "fashion" aspect and then the interface. Instead, I feel moved.
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:34 AM on February 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Strong, beautiful, and powerful. I hope these are widely seen.
posted by Songdog at 6:35 AM on February 10, 2012

When I was a consumer health librarian at a medical center, we had a copy of a book (whose name I've long forgotten) that showed pictures similar to these: well-shot pictures of women post-breast-cancer-surgery being themselves, shirtless. It was fairly rare that someone would ask for it, but occasionally they would.

I've always believed that people need to see/read that they are not alone, that there are others going through what they're going through and often coming out triumphant, starting with children's lit and esp. true through the teen years. Resources like this link are an example of how this is true for adults too, people going through something that's too common in our world but too seldom seen/discussed. These women are healthy, unique, and scarred--and anyone touched by breast cancer needs to see them.
posted by gillyflower at 6:51 AM on February 10, 2012

I thought these were going to be a lot more depressing but instead was oddly... not cheered up but certainly a bit of a internal wry grin.

Not a lot of smiles in the pictures, but each one is such a "FU Cancer!" that I can't help to see, even if it is my imagination, some bit of joy.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:54 AM on February 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

that was very powerful. Thank you for posting!
posted by ruelle at 6:55 AM on February 10, 2012

Very, very moving.
posted by Celsius1414 at 7:19 AM on February 10, 2012

The portraits certainly portray the angst and agony of cancer; but I can't help but think that a different style of portraiture could present the happier side of survival of these women. I guess what I would like to see is these same photos juxtaposed to these same women fully clothed, smiling and in flattering lights and color.

Wow. If a brief glimpse at harsh reality of how disastrous breast cancer can be for young survivors falls outside your comfort zone, that's just too bad. There's more than enough soft-focus happy sunshine imaging about BC in countless brochures, fundraising collateral and glib "Save the Ta-Ta's" decals. Be grateful you have the option to look away; Mrs. Scoo is a survivor who'd give anything for that luxury.
posted by Scoo at 8:04 AM on February 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

rmmcclay: "I guess what I would like to see is these same photos juxtaposed to these same women fully clothed, smiling and in flattering lights and color."

Smiling, and in flattering lights and color is the pinkwashing effect, and it's sad that the response to these photos is a desire to make it pretty and easier to look at.

Cancer is ugly. Surviving is hard. The strength and open emotion in these photos is heartbreaking and beautiful and terrifying all at once.
posted by Lulu's Pink Converse at 9:33 AM on February 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

The pregnant woman just... wow... the strength in that photo is amazing. To go through the agony of breast cancer, lose your breasts, and then still have the power to bring a new life into the world... of all the images, that's the one that just punched me in the gut and said "damn, women are STRONG."
posted by sonika at 4:14 AM on February 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

I loved the one with the woman with her young daughter (I presume), who was also shirtless and at ease. There's so much going on in that photo.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:53 PM on February 11, 2012

Amazing.
posted by cjorgensen at 8:54 PM on February 14, 2012