Angelina Jolie, humanitarian, actress and one of America’s biggest sex symbols, recently took the public eye away from her lips when she stepped out in an op-ed piece written for the New York Times with an unexpected admission: She had a double mastectomy after learning she is genetically susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer.
This proactive procedure cut her cancer risk from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I am so beyond impressed with her bravery in not only making that hard decision, but in talking about it publicly, encouraging other women to evaluate all of their choices when it comes to cancer prevention.
In her op-ed, she writes that she is stepping forward to talk about her procedure because she hopes that other women can benefit from her experience.
“I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer,” Jolie writes.
It is miraculous that Jolie was able to hide this from the public since her procedure in April. The media attacks celebrities for stepping outside wearing the wrong footwear, let alone the removal of both breasts. So kudos to her on keeping it private, and triple kudos to her on then coming forward and talking about the experience for the benefit of others. Well done, Angelina.
In the last decade, Jolie has done her best to stay out of the spotlight, focusing on humanitarian work and building her brood of 6 children with fiance, super stud Brad Pitt. I think a lot of what she does goes unacknowledged. Jolie is one of the handfuls of celebrities using their success to push forward and do good, instead of snorting it or avoiding their taxes.
Jolie is only 36, which is young for a procedure like this. However, her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, passed away from cancer at the age of 56. In her NYT piece, Jolie writes touching sentiments about her children not getting to know “mommy’s mommy.”
This spoke directly to me, as a preventative mastectomy is something that has crossed my mind before. I have breast and ovarian cancer on both sides of my family. My mother and aunt are breast cancer survivors, my aunt having undergone a mastectomy. I lost another aunt nearly two decades ago to ovarian cancer. As a woman at a high risk for cancer, it’s empowering and reassuring to see a celebrity taking it on.
I especially love Jolie for openly addressing the idea of a “loss of femininity,” which many women feel after having a mastectomy or hysterectomy. The breasts are one of the largest (or for others with ballerina boobs like me, the smallest ) symbols of the feminine, developing at the beginning of that painfully awkward time that signifies the entrance to “womanhood.” I have heard that many women feel to lose their breasts is to lose their feminine identity, and they can suffer emotionally after procedures similar to Jolie’s.
“On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman,” she says. “I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.”
Jolie openly discusses some of the details of the surgery, and what the procedure entails. She also addresses more holistic measures, writing that her own regimen will be posted on the website of her treatment center, the Pink Lotus Breast Center.
“Life comes with many challenges,” she concludes. “The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.”
My friends in high school could tell you that my bedroom was adorned with every image of Angelina Jolie I could find. I was attracted to her raw sexuality, her individuality, and her take-no-shit attitude.
As she moved from sex symbol to serious humanitarian, my admiration for her only intensified. Ten years later, I am still crushing hard, even if some of the reasons have changed. Thanks Jolie. Good to know you’ve got my back.