David Jay
-
Health
Breast Cancer Awareness
-
Beauty
Breast Cancer Awareness
-
Health
Breast Cancer Awareness
For National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, fashion photographer David Jay wants to change the way we look at breast cancer -- not with another pink product, but with The SCAR Project, an unflinching series of nude portraits that reveal the emotional and physical scars of young breast cancer survivors. In these women, we see all of the emotions that surviving breast cancer can trigger -- courage, fear, acceptance, pride and sadness, to name a few. We also see the physical remnants of the disease -- double mastectomies, lumpectomies, partial or full reconstructions. According to Jay, breast cancer is a frightening prospect that we keep covered up with pink ribbons -- so much so, that even survivors themselves have no idea what other women look like after surgery to remove their cancer. We caught up with the photographer to learn more about the impact this project has had on him and the women he photographed.
What inspired you to take on The SCAR Project?
My (then) girlfriend’s identical twin sister got breast cancer when she was 29. I had known both of them since they were 17. We all went to the same yoga school. When Paulina got breast cancer it was just shocking. Here was this healthy, young, strong woman with no family history of the disease. It was completely out of the blue. Two weeks after her diagnosis, she had a mastectomy, and it tore her life up for awhile. Six months later, she came back to yoga. She was wearing a leotard, and there was just one breast. I dragged her into the studio and took this beautifully disturbing black and white of her. It hadn’t crossed my mind that she would get something out of it as well. I’ve since shot almost 100 girls.
How did you find the women?
They all found me. We posted a little note about the project on forums like the Young Survivors Coalition. We said, “Here are some of the pictures, and if you’re interested in participating, shoot me an email,” and that was it. I was immediately inundated by women who wanted to participate. It’s been like a pilgrimage for them. They save up their money to come to New York and be photographed. Often, there are a lot of tears at the shoot. Ultimately, it’s a very satisfying experience for these women. I didn’t get how powerful it is for them.
How has this project changed your conception of breast cancer survivors?
I didn’t even realize you could get breast cancer in your 20s. I was like most people who see it as your mother’s disease. I mean, doctors don’t even recommend women get mammograms until 50 now, right? So not only did I not have any idea, I hadn’t spent any time thinking about it. I don’t know if I ever would have thought about it. I want this to be an awareness-raising campaign for young women.
The SCAR Project’s tagline is “breast cancer is not a pink ribbon.” Why did you decide to go that route?
Tens of thousands of people have seen this project, and I have yet to meet someone who says they know what [breast cancer] looks like. People are so fascinated by it. Breast cancer is hidden behind this absurd pink ribbon; it’s ridiculous. A girl said to me, “If a guy got prostate cancer, do you think someone would give him a pink t-shirt or teddy bear?” It beautifies something that is horrific and dishonest. Many women hate the pink ribbon, because they know the reality of it. They resent the commercializing by people putting a pink ribbon on it.
What was it like photographing all of these women? And what was it like for them?
It was immediately obvious that it was something more than just a picture. For them, it is a moment of acceptance. They know these photographs are going to be out there for the world to see. They think, “What’s happened to me is horrific, and I’m not going to hide. I’m going to show other people what it looks like.” And there’s a bit of pride there as well. Once other women saw the pictures, they wanted to be part of that; they saw the courage and the pride and the pain and beauty -- all the things that I hope are present in the images.
My assistant put up a Facebook page for The SCAR Project. I hadn’t even thought about it. By this morning, there were over 7,000 people on there. It grows by 100 people a day. So many women have said the same thing: “I’ve never been able to look in the mirror again, and someone sent me a link to The SCAR Project, and I just want you to know that it’s changed my life and my perception of who I can be.” Or, “I didn’t even know there was anyone else who looks like me.” No one sees it -- not even them. But suddenly here is this group of women who are just like them. I am so honored that these pictures have literal impact on these people’s lives.
These images are very provoking -- some might even say disturbing. Is that an acceptable way of looking at them?
There’s no right or wrong way to regard the pictures. Whatever your reaction is your reaction. I’m surprised that people are horrified. I don’t find them horrifying. I know some people can’t even look at them. Whatever you come away with is what you come away with. I can’t control how people perceive them. I only hope that they take something positive away from it.
The SCAR Project will be on exhibit from October 14 to 17 at the Openhouse Gallery in New York, New York. Click here to buy tickets or The SCAR Project book . Profits from ticket and book sales will benefit LIVESTRONG® and The SCAR Project.
