Aniela McGuinness, a 32-year-old actress from Hollywood, Florida, decided to deal with her breast cancer with a photoshoot. Titled “My Breast Choice,” McGuinness photographed herself as Rosie the Riveter prior to her operation and the Bride of Frankenstein after. She learned she had cancer just three days before a planned appointment to schedule a preventative mastectomy; McGuinness had lost her mother to ovarian cancer on July 5th, 2013.
This project explores “the impact Breast Cancer, a double mastectomy, and chemo can have on a woman’s body & soul and uses humor & honesty to go beyond just surviving,” explains McGuinness. “Mainly, I needed something to focus on while I went through this, a place to release my creativity and feel useful. My Breast Choice gave me that.”
More info: mybreastchoiceshow.com | Blast’em Photography | Facebook | Instagram (h/t: demilked, cosmo)
“Have you ever googled mastectomy before and after photos? It’s a heartbreaking array of faceless women’s maimed breasts under florescent lighting”
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“Before removing my breasts I wanted photographic evidence of what they looked like, but I didn’t want mug shots of attempted murders”
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The uncensored photo is available on McGuinness’ website
This photo was taken after the mastectomy and a week before Halloween
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“I wanted a photo that captured how I felt”
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McGuinness felt plastic while having her expanders in and her hair had not yet regrown, so she did the Mannequin shoot
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“I decided not to get my nipples reconstructed or tattooed because I enjoy the jokes and freedom I get from not having them”
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“I wanted to change the images that women saw of mastectomies”
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