Breast Surgery as a Gender Technology: Analyzing Plastic Surgeons’ Discourses

Coll‐Planas, Gerard; Cruells, Marta; Alfama, Eva

doi:10.1080/15240657.2017.1349504

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The decision to go "flat" and opt out of reconstructive surgery following mastectomy is not a common treatment option found in the medical literature; however, it is an option up to 40% of breast cancer survivors report choosing (Alderman et al 2003). Historically, research has claimed that engaging in reconstruction following mastectomy will optimize health and well-being (Coll-Planas et al 2017;Crompvoets 2012). Survivors have begun to utilize resources outside of their oncology team to seek out options.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Undoubtedly, this results in problematic assumptions about people's relationship to their bodies and to their gender identities (notably, one may not feel breasts are tied to or a fitting reflection of their gender identity). Additionally, there is a prevailing notion that reconstructed breasts are needed for psychological as well as physical healing (Coll-Planas et al 2017;Crompvoets 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unpacking Gender for Flat Breast Cancer Survivors Assigned Female at Birth: A Methodological Application of Visually Informed, Critical Discursive Psychology

Raque,

McCullough,

Creegan

2023

Social Sciences

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Given the high prevalence rates of breast cancer and mastectomy as recommended treatment, a large number of breast cancer survivors assigned female at birth may face contradicting messages about whether to pursue reconstruction. Survivors desire information outside of standard biased pro-reconstruction messages, with an increase in utilization of online social platforms to learn of the lived experiences of survivors who have gone flat. As breasts are socially constructed symbols connected to femininity, fertility, motherhood, and (hetereo)sexualization, the application of visually informed, critical discursive psychology holds promise as a method for analyzing how survivors “do” gender after going flat. This paper summarizes prior research on messages around reconstruction before diving into how breasts hold sociocultural meanings in relation to gender performance. A preliminary reading of a photo posted on Twitter by Tig Notaro, a comedian who has been public about breast cancer, and a photo posted on Instagram by entrepreneur Jamie Kastelic were analyzed using a visually informed, critical discursive psychology lens. Our preliminary analysis illustrates the utility of this method for understanding how flat survivors assigned female at birth construct gender for both themselves and a social media audience. This paper challenges assumptions regarding what a “healthy” breast cancer survivor looks like and aims to encourage future inquiries into how social media functions as a space where survivors can perform gender online after going flat themselves.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unpacking Gender for Flat Breast Cancer Survivors Assigned Female at Birth: A Methodological Application of Visually Informed, Critical Discursive Psychology

Raque,

McCullough,

Creegan

2023

Social Sciences

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“…From the second half of the 19th century (during this period, the category of homosexual emerged to separate the socially accepted from the abnormal, deviant and dangerous [11]), the stigmatisation of sexual diversity was based on medical science whereby a homosexual person was considered to be sick [9], and any practices not for the purpose of procreation were considered sexual perversions [10]. During the Franco regime, homosexuality was viewed as a disease that was treated with electroshock therapy and repressed as a criminal act (under the Law of Vagrancy and later the Law of Social Danger), which led to many homosexual men being interned in re-education establishments for their reputed rehabilitation [12]. (For Gutiérrez Gallardo [13], the permissiveness towards female homosexuality in comparison to the repression of male homosexuality is rooted in the concept of the passive role of female sexuality centred on male pleasure and its procreative function.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes towards Homosexuality in Europe: Analysis of the European Values Study

Silvestre Cabrera,

Royo Prieto,

Aristegui Fradua

2024

Sexes

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The aim of the article is to determine which countries show the most homophobic attitudes and understand the profile of homophobia in Europe. This article analyses data from the survey “European Values Study” and focuses on three of its questions: “Do you think homosexual people can be good parents”; “the degree of justification of homosexuality”, and “the attitude towards the possibility of having a homosexual neighbour”. For this, we have used a quantitative methodology (mean comparison analysis and multiple correspondences. The sample consists of 56,451 people from 34 European countries. One of the main conclusions is that homophobic attitudes are highest in the eastern countries, former Soviet republics, and, on the contrary, residents in Nordic countries have more inclusive attitudes.

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“…Medical professionals translate the mastectomized body into a series of surgical options in which the woman is absent and situated as something that needs to be 'fixed'. The discourse of a healthy body is presented in line with normative notions of femininity, and those who choose to remain flat are pathologized as incomplete and physically deformed (Coll-Planas, Cruells, & Alfama, 2017;La et al, 2019).…”

Section: The Breast Reconstruction Imperativementioning

confidence: 99%

Dressing The Postsurgical Body: An Examination Of Experience, Perceptions, And Body Image With Reconstructive Breast Surgery And Bra Fit

Amoozegar-Montero

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<p><strong>Treatment and recovery for breast cancer are complex and multifaceted. The experience of a mastectomy and reconstructive breast surgery is a direct assault on a particular body part that is considered central to femininity and normative conceptions of feminine beauty. The journey through breast cancer diagnosis, treatment decisions, and recovery into survivorship can present significant changes and challenges to an individual’s physical and psychological self. Although a reconstructive breast procedure is presented as a way to restore the body to its preoperative state and attain a sense of normalcy, reconstructed breasts can look, feel, and behave differently than natural breasts. This thesis explores how women in Aotearoa New Zealand who have undergone a mastectomy and reconstructive breast surgery experience their postsurgical bodies, focusing on perceptions of their reconstructed breasts, body image, and femininity and the role and significance bra choices play in women’s postsurgical lives. A phenomenological and feminist methodology was used to frame the thesis, placing the lived experience of the women who participated in the study at the centre of analysis and acknowledging this information to be a significant contribution to the research. To support this framing, I drew on the concepts of embodiment, body projects, and the ill body. To complement this approach, I used a concurrent triangulation mixed methods research design to analyse multiple layers of data stemming from both a survey and interviews. A survey of 110 participants and 25 in-depth interviews were conducted simultaneously, analysed independently, and then triangulated during interpretation. The quantitative survey data was analysed using descriptive statistics, and the open-ended data along with the qualitative interview data were analysed using a thematic analysis. Three major themes emerged from the interview data: 1) ‘Choosing’ Reconstruction: participants’ decision to undergo reconstructive breast surgery, 2) Changing Bodies: Participants’ relationship with their postsurgical body, and 3) The Power of the bra: Bras and reconstructed breasts. The results of this study provide a deeper understanding of participants’ postoperative experiences with their reconstructed breast and bodies. Specifically, the results present the participants’ strong desire for postoperative normality, the experience of medical pressure to restore the traditionally feminine body, postoperative feelings of disembodiment and embodiment, and an account of the emotions associated with the unfulfilled and unexpected ramifications of breast reconstruction. These findings outline the prevalent issues and concerns with postoperative bras and suggest that a well-fitted bra can contribute to minimizing, if not alleviating, some of the physical and psychological discomforts caused by breast reconstruction. This thesis is the first study in Aotearoa New Zealand to investigate the meaning of bras for women who have undergone a mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery. It contributes to the literature by providing novel understandings of the role the bra plays in relation to women’s postsurgical bodies and fundamental information on the postoperative experience of women who have undergone reconstructive breast surgery.</strong></p>

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Breast Surgery as a Gender Technology: Analyzing Plastic Surgeons’ Discourses

Cited by 5 publications

References 26 publications

Unpacking Gender for Flat Breast Cancer Survivors Assigned Female at Birth: A Methodological Application of Visually Informed, Critical Discursive Psychology

Unpacking Gender for Flat Breast Cancer Survivors Assigned Female at Birth: A Methodological Application of Visually Informed, Critical Discursive Psychology

Attitudes towards Homosexuality in Europe: Analysis of the European Values Study

Dressing The Postsurgical Body: An Examination Of Experience, Perceptions, And Body Image With Reconstructive Breast Surgery And Bra Fit

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