artists     stories    image-search     news    contact

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.”

click to view complete set in the archive


Institute Artist is redefining how stories are produced and told. Representing auteur-driven storytellers, we bring together talent across commercials, photography, fine art, and film. Founded by Matt Shonfeld and Frank Evers. Institute Artists multi-platform production expertise, and established global relationships in entertainment, fine art, and journalism make for unmatched reach and cross-pollination of creative work. Institute Artist has been a leading advocate of the power of underrepresented talent and is fully committed to bringing these authentic voices to our clients by helping them tell compelling and entertaining stories that better connect with their audiences.