wareness necessary for women’s health

The most highly prized curve of all is that he bosom. The degree of attention which asts receive, combined with the confusion ut what the breast fetishists actually want, ces women unduly anxious about them. ry can never be just right; they must always too small, too big, the wrong shape, too by. Her breasts are only to be admired for as they show no signs of their function: e darkened, stretched or withered they are cts of revulsion.’’-Germaine Greer, The ale Eunuch.

By Dionne Stephens

TORONTO (CUP) S. HOOTERS. BONKERS. JUGS. TRUCKS. ons. Handfuls. Breasts have always been ed as a central symbol of womanhood. y are one of the most obvious physical inctions between men and women, although one pills are increasingly making this an eliable method of analysis.

Women have been fighting for years inst male-defined breast expectations and mpact on our self-image. From the early es of puberty, some girls remember the ma of boys in class teasing them about the If balls’’ in their t-shirts --or lack thereof.

The media has a significant impact on minds of men and women. Say the name ly Parton and what comes to mind? Simi- , aStripper’s popularity seems to increase cordance to the letter of her cup size.

But breasts also play a central part of eremony into womanhood -- the purchase first bras will never be forgotten once the ish vest is no longer adequate to hold back bulge,

As we get older, we realize our bodies ldn’t be constrained by male standards, so let them hang. Sometimes we even use to defy patriarchy-- like the infamous ~chested Gwen Jacobs from the University aterloo-- as a visible symbol of our libera-

As we grow older still, some women lift, cut and paste their breasts in an pt to regain their youthful appearance -- thaps it’s an attempt to preserve a fading bolof power, ..

These attempts, regardless of motive, just how important breasts are in our ‘ty. But what happens when they are taken Y entirely?

‘Tl felt at first that I was now really Tent from other women; like I wasn’t the anymore,’’ said one cancer survivor,who Not to be named. ‘‘Don’t get me wrong, first and foremost happy to be alive, but feeling was in the back of my mind.””

Although breast cancer is attributed to ‘al different genetic and environmental

Mts, there is no hard evidence of its cause 0 solid cure.

Right now, once the disease has been sed, the options arechemotherapy (medi- n that destroys cancer cells by interfering

with their growth or preventing their reproduc- tion), mastectomy (surgical removal of a breast to contain a cancerous tumour) and lumpectomy (a partial mastectomy which rarely requires the removal of more than one-quarter of the breast).

Groups across Canada are actively pro- moting October as BreastCancer Awareness Month. However, when you consider the great

usually in the later stages and often it has already spread.”’

Also, for many people, breast cancer has an image of being an old woman’s dis- ease. Awareness campaigns are mainly geared to women over 50, for instance.

And while it’s true that women are most at risk after 40, about 17 per cent of

perenne ONLY

BREAST SELF-EXAM

IN THE SHOWER. Raise one arm. With fingers flat, touch every part of each breast, gently feeling for a lump or thickening. Use your right hand to examine our left breast, your left and for your right breast.

BEFORE A MIRROR. With arms at your sides, then raised above your head, look carefully for changes in the size, shape, and contour of each breast. Look for puckering, dimpling. or changes in skin texture. Gently squeeze both

nipples and look for discharge.

LYING DOWN. Place a towel or pillow A under your right shoulder and your right hand = behind your head. Examine your right breast with your left hand.

Fingers flat. press gently in small circles, starting at the outermost top edge of your breast

and spiraling in

toward the nipple. Examine every part of the breast. Repeat with left breast.

With your arm resting on a firm surface, use the same circular motion to examine the underarm area. This is breast tissue, too.

Call your physician if you have any concerns,

importance and attention society places on wom- en’s breasts, it is surprising that many people are unaware about this campaign, or even the issue itself.

Breast cancer is the number three killer of women, with one in nine Canadian women expected to develop the disease in her lifetime.

According to the Canadian Cancer Soci- ety, one in 23 women will die because of the illness. Arlene Tubman, co-ordinator of the North York branch in Toronto, said Canada has one of the highest numbers of breast cancer cases in the world, surpassed only by the United States.

And recent studies indicate that black women have a greater chance of getting cancer in a more deadly form than white women.

Researchers have found that the cells appear to divide ata more rapid rateamong black women. But some who work in this field see other external factors playing a major role.

‘*Because women of different ethno-cul- tural backgrounds tend to come from marginalized communities, many do not go to the doctor for various reasons -- economics, cultural beliefs,’’ says Shebina Amlani, a Health Promotions Officer with the Ontario Breast Screening Program.

‘*When these women are diagnosed, it is

cases involve women under 35.

Twenty-four-year-old Sandra Dumas said she has regular breastexaminations, mainly because breast cancer runs in her family.

Dumas’s grandmother and aunt both died from breast cancer. Women who have a family history associated with the disease have an extremely high risk of getting breast cancer.

But even for those younger women who want to be tested, there are obstacles to face, Currently, digital mammography and a controversial bone marrow transplant are the newest -- and most expensive -- systems on the market for checking breast cancer.

The most common and cheapest form of checking is through a mammography. But not all patients are impressed with it.

Essentially, it is a way for doctors to see inside the breast by compressing the breast between two plates. Some women describe the process as feeling “‘like you’re putting your breast in a trash compactor.”’

Doctors complain that mammography is not that accurate in young women. Breast tissue has an opaque appearance, so the looser it is, the easier it is to detect lumps.

However, younger women’s breasts are more firm and dense, making the mammography results unclear and inaccurate.

There is also the issue of the doctor/ patient relationship,especially when there is a male doctor involved. Because of the rise of reports in sexual harassment, women may be uncomfortableasking male doctors howa breast self-exam should be done.

“*He would have to demonstrate on me -- it would be like he’s feeling me up,’’ one woman said.

Beyond this, there is the basic need for younger women to be more aware about their bodies. Since 80 percent ofall breast lumps are discovered by women and their partners, this is crucial. But can you describe what a normal breast looks like? Do you know what a normal breast should feel like? Are your own breasts normal?

Burlington Breast Cancer Support Serv- ices runs classes on self breast awareness. Geared for women over 14, the program stresses the importance of early breast cancer detec- tion.

**We show you how to stand in front of a mirror since it is just as important to see yourselfvisually aswell astouch,’’ Pat Ogborne of the centre said.

“*We like to do programs for young moth- ers and encourage mothers to bring their daughters.”’

Along these lines, the Ontario Breast Screening program is pushing for daughters, sons and husbands to encourage women to go for breast exams.

““We target Mother’s Day,’” Amlani says. ‘*We are good at nurturing everyone but our- selves, so sometimes we need to be reminded.”’

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation feels these types of programs need to be initi- ated earlier. In the secondary schoolsystem, women learn all about their reproductive ca- pacities-- from menstruation to AIDS.

However, beyond stressing the impor- tance of wearing a sports bra for gym class, breast health and breast cancer are virtually overlooked. For these high school women, the foundation is in theprocess of creating a breast self-examination instruction program.

The best time to do a breast self-exam is seven to 10 days after your period when there is the least amount of hormonal influence.

“The tissue is most normal then,”’ Amlani said. “‘So that is the best time to become familiar with your own breast and its particulars.’”

Breast cancer survivor Rena Dublin- Antwi agrees with Amlani. Although she has lost a breast to cancer, she says a positive attitude has helped her deal with the disease.

“‘T don’t hide it and if] feel like it, I just shove two shoulder pads in my brassiere,”’ she says. “‘Women should be able to talk openly about it even if they never get the disease.”’

[October 18, 1994