Over the past decade, more and more women have been choosing to undergo mastectomy surgery, continuing to bring awareness to the idea that breasts do not equal womanhood. Sophy Holland, a New York–based photographer, recently teamed up with Inked magazine to showcase a few of these strong, beautiful women.
Images shared with photographer's permission.
Called "The Dazzling Dozen," Holland's spread shines the spotlight on 12 women from all walks of life with inspiring mastectomy tattoos.
The shoot was for Inked magazine's Inked for a Cause campaign, the first-ever issue that was dedicated to breast cancer, as well as other cancers.
Holland tells CafeMom she wanted to take portraits of the women, who came from all corners of Canada and the United States, to showcase their strength without having them sexualized or competing with distracting backdrops. Each woman got to choose her own accessories, whatever best conveyed her own personality and style.
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And the stories they told Inked are just as beautiful and empowering as the photos they took.
Jennifer Jaye, six years cancer-free
"I picked up surfing. I'm kicking ass with ice climbing. If I die in some extreme sporting event, my last thought will be, 'Oh, thank god cancer didn't get me!'"
Dana Donofree, seven years cancer-free
"Getting the mastectomy tattoo changed the course of a lot of things in my life because that was the moment when I took back a choice: I live my life. I make my own decisions."
Kim Hotchkissm, 11 years cancer-free
"Laughter. That's what got me through. Just being quirky and goofy."
Mylee Cardenas, three years cancer-free
"I'm actually grateful that I went through this because I get to share my experience. I get to help empower women to be aware and be a part of their treatment."
Kat Van Winkle, one year cancer-free
"I work for a school, and there were 400 kids who needed to see this wasn't a death sentence. I wanted to be that advocate, that strong person."
More from CafeMom: Dying Woman's Breast Cancer Battle Chronicled in 35 Haunting Photos
Christina Schroeder, four and a half years cancer-free
"To people going through a tough time: You can cry. You can let others know you are hurting. As human beings, we share happiness, but we're so reluctant to share sadness, and I don't know why that is."
Starling W, eight years cancer-free
"After cancer, I started seeing life. It made me stop and smell the roses once in a while — appreciate the things I had in life versus what I thought I needed."
Jen Hearn, three years cancer-free
"My husband and I have been together since we were teenagers, so I knew he loved me, but I stopped loving myself after the surgery. The tattoo completely changed that for me."
Stephanie Davis, five years cancer-free
"There is nothing in this world you can do to me that would knock me down. I feel like a tank. I feel like I can tackle anything with positivity and keep pursuing happiness."
Melissa Shelley, 11 years cancer-free
"I want women to know that whether you have one breast, two breasts, or none, your sexuality and your beauty was never taken. Just the tissue that tried to kill you."
Karen Malkin-Lazarovitz, who chose preventative mastectomy after learning she has the BRCA mutation and an 87% chance of developing breast cancer
"I became more confident in myself after my mastectomy. I would never go topless before. And now here I am — no nipples, scars — and I'm able to show everyone what I look like and feel beautiful."
Allyson Olivia, two and a half years cancer-free
"The tattoo is like permanent lingerie. It makes me feel as sexy after cancer. It's that little bit of reclaiming what cancer took away from me. It's taking my body back."
More from CafeMom: Mom Battling Breast Cancer Gives Birth & the Photos Are Breathtaking
Check out this video for a behind-the-scenes look of the shoot, which Holland called her all-time favorite photo shoot.
"[It was] fascinating to see these women and what they've gone through, and the strength and happiness in the room," Holland tells CafeMom.
In fact, the camaraderie hasn't ended yet. The women have joined together to form the Instagram account @inkedsisters, which describes itself as a place of support and inspiration for those in similar situations.
Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a movement showcasing the beauty of women who triumph over breast cancer.
