We often think of breasts as being inextricably linked to a woman's femininity -- but what about women who don't have them, such as breast cancer patients who undergo mastectomies?
In a new video produced by UK charity Breast Cancer Care, three women who have had their breasts removed share their feelings about their bodies, self-esteem and femininity post-surgery, and take part in a photoshoot to showcase their scars.
"I have scars," one participant says. "But that doesn't take away from the person that I am, the person that I have always been and the person that I will always be. This is my body and this is me. And I'm okay with it."
Jackie Morgan MacDougall echoes these sentiments in an October 2012 blog for The Huffington Post:
I remember being asked shortly after my double mastectomy, "How does it feel losing everything that makes you a woman?" Funny, I didn't know I had. My breasts didn't define me before they were removed. My breasts don't define me now. But every scar and imperfection does serve as a daily reminder of the strong, unstoppable force I am; ready, willing and able to do whatever it takes for the people I love. If that doesn't make me a woman, I don't know what does.
Watch the full video above, and head over to the Breast Cancer Care website to learn more about the charity's mission.
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