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Why I Wore Lipstick

© Lauren Greenfield

“Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy” is the title of Geralyn Lucas’ book about her battle against breast cancer. A 36-year old television producer, Lucas confronts her own body image issues and the cultural and emotional importance of breasts to female identity.

After her mastectomy, Lucas decided not to create an artificial nipple through reconstructive surgery. Instead, she tattooed her breast with a heart and wings. Lucas writes “Lipstick was about living. Lipstick was being hopeful and having a future. I think lipstick is the antithesis of all the things breast cancer patients go through, and to somehow reclaim it, to wear it on my terms felt so crazy but also made perfect sense.”

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