This would have to be one of the most inspiring collection of photographs I’ve ever seen.
The SCAR Project is a series of large-scale portraits of young breast cancer survivors shot by fashion photographer David Jay, he started shooting this project in Sydney and has to date photographed 100 women from across America and the world.
Primarily inspired by his friend Paula who had been diagnosed at age 32. The SCAR Project puts a raw, unflinching face on early onset breast cancer; all of the women photographed are between the ages of 18-35.
Dedicated to the more than 10,000 women under the age of 40 who will be diagnosed this year alone The SCAR Project is an exercise in awareness, hope, reflection and healing.
Republished with full permission from the photographer, David Jay. If you would like to know more or support the project you can click here, the SCAR Project is also now a beautiful book and is available here.
Comments
87 Comments so far
These woman are beautiful.
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(service@stumbleupon.com)
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Beautiful courageous woman…….. you are amazing
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Rachel Skiffingtonwww.resizeyourimage.com)
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Beautiful images. I have one of those damned scars across my left chest after my breast was removed 8 months ago. I can only hope that people in the same situation have the love and acceptance of family and friends that I have. If my 4yo or 7yo boys walk in as I’m getting dressed they do not blink an eyelid. My partner loves me as much as he always has. My friends don’t reel in horror if they catch me boobless and I’m happy to show the scar to anyone who wants to see it. I do wonder why on earth it’s OK for someone to be out in public without an arm or with only one leg but it’s not quite right for us to go about the place with only one breast. Get your boobs checked, girls!
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Why can’t the surgeons place the masectomy scar a little more thoughtfully so that when a construction is undertaken the hidden below the breast instead of traversing it horizontally? I wouldn’t have thought this would be too difficult….. Anyone?
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I think they are more worried about saving a life than where the scar is ! going
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they have to be able to access the lymph nodes and all the breast tissue. in the ‘old days’ the scar used to go right from under the arm. most surgeons are quite mindful of what happens next.
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Wow, this is an amazing project, and so intense. I love that the women are made to look beautiful and strong, you can tell that the project really means something to the photographer. Have to admit, I protectively wrapped my arms around my chest while looking at the photos, without even realising I did it…good reminder to take *nothing* for granted!
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I am sitting at my desk, trying very hard to not cry and failing.
The women portrayed in the photos are so brave, beautiful and inspiring. Having a Dad who battled (and ultimatly passed away from) Breast Cancer, these pictures touch my heart in a completly different way then what they would have 8 years ago.
The only time I saw his scar (after his mastectomy) was from a photo that he had taken to capture the journey. There are not many of these photos.
I know Dad was embarrassed by his scar as you could tell there was something not quite right under his shirts. Unfortunately most mens shirts have only one pocket and they were on the wrong side. I can remeber mum and I always on the look out for a shirt that had pockets on each side as they hid the concave on one side and then also hid his port that was inserted when the Cancer returned.
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=(
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My dear friend has just finished chemo and is booked for a double mastectomy in December. I was naive as to the enormity of this decision she has made until I saw these photos. I will have a new found empathy thank you.
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Wow! This has encouraged me to do a project in photography. I really enjoy the art of photography and how it can capture a moment, a story, a life in one image.
I work in journalism, but I have very creative blood and absolutely adore the arts. These photographs are breath-taking and honest.
I think the pink ribbon makes it iconic for women to relate to, the colour and everything. These pictures make it a reality, and the suffering that lasts well beyond Pink Ribbon Day.
Good one, David Jay!
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Brave and Beautiful
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oh em gee..
So wonderful.
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What gutsy women!! What inner strength to show themselves at their most vulnerable. The saying that one’s true inner beauty shines through is clearly evident here. Despite their disfigurement from the ravages of cancer, all are truly beautiful and inspiring. Wishing them all well and hope they have won their battle over this insidious disease.
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My god, I think this is the first time I ‘get’ the horror of cancer. I’m crying.
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Wow.
Just cried as I flicked through that as I cannot believe how many BRAVE, BRAVE, BRAVE and inspiring women there are in this world.
What strength and beauty!
AMAZE.ING.
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Amazing. Beautiful. Brave. The project, the photos, the women.
Well done to these gorgeous, and hopefully now well/recovering, women and David Jay. xx
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These photos have reminded me of why I make a $25 a month donation to the Cancer Council.
I encourage people to donate if they can, via a direct debit set up, that comes automatically from your account on a set day. The money goes towards research and support programs for many types of cancer.
You also get a card that gives you %15 off at Cancer Council stores.
Don’t we all know someone who has been touched by cancer in some way?
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A picture says a thousand words….there is such tremendous beauty in these women’s bravery. What a powerful and important story these images tell. Truely stunning.
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I am close to tears having veiwed these pictures. I have spent a good deal of time this week complaining about my weight, trying to wish away the “mummy tummy ” i still have 10 months after giving birth, and willing my breasts to go up a size….and here are these women, courageous in the face of illness, having survived cancer.
Beautiful. Gorgeous. Brave.
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Initially I thought, horrible…..to see the scaring, the butchering, quite shocking really. But then I stopped looking at those scars and realised how brave and beautiful all these women are, surviving their war against cancer, and showing us their battle scars.
My husband has been through the removal of a lung due to lung cancer, he feels the difference but doesn’t see the difference, I see the scar on his back and I am constantly reminded everyday of his bravery and survival.
I do hope this is what these women see when they are constantly reminded each and everyday. xxx
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These photographs are so beautiful and truthful. Thank-you to the brave women who have posed for these very poignant works and thank-you to David Jay for treating his subjects with such respect and sensitivity.
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There aren’t really adequate words for this – it’s awesome and awful at the same time. Such kudos to the brave women here, and those who are battling and have battled this bitch of a disease. These pics make it much more real than a pink ribbon, no matter how effective that campaign has been at raising awareness and funds. This is confronting to see, but I imagine much more confronting to live through. Thanks for posting Mia.
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To those who bitterly complain that women get all the attention when just as many men die from prostate cancer, this illustrates how breast cancer differs from prostate cancer – breast cancer affects more people at a younger age and alters a crucial element of what makes a woman look and feel like a woman i.e. her breasts. I don’t want to take away from the specific traumas of prostate cancer – I’m just ‘having a go’ at the men who moan about how unfair breast cancer awareness campaigns are.
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I really don’t think you can compare cancers in terms of their impact or severity. It’s very tasteless and insensitive. No one on this forum has made this complaint. When this complaint is made the sentiment is that these men (and women too) wish there was more out there about prostate cancer as well. No body is arguing that one cancer is more important than the other. Well… except you. Please save your thoughtless comments for another forum or better still keep them to yourself. I have found them to be highly offensive and disappointing.
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Anonymous have you thought about the psychological scarring that affects men who become incontinent or suffer from erectile dysfunction due to prostatectomies? I can’t think of anything more damaging to the way a man ‘feels like a man’ to be forced to wear incontinence pads at age 50.
Testicular cancer tends to kill young men.
Every cancer diagnosis is tragic and every type of cancer needs to be the focus of research, support and empathy.
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I am stunned and insulted that you even think that one cancer deserves more funding than the other because of looks. Have you any idea where a prostate gland is and what its function is? If this disease doesn’t strike at the core of what makes a man a man then I don’t know what does. All cancer research deserves more funding and maybe instead of buying that pink ribbon endorsed bottle of water maybe you should tread the higher (more empathetic) road and think about kicking a couple of bucks to a cancer that isn’t as well publicised, or jeez maybe just the cancer council. Humanity will thank you.
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Disappointed with your comments Anon, it speaks volumes of your us vs them mentality and why men have to paint themselves blue and scream for cancer funding.
Very disappointing
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I had to come back to this post. I was so moved when I saw it a few hours ago I couldnt write anything!
So beautiful, SO Brave!!
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Hi Rachel Skiffington!
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Looking at the woman crying and I am crying.
My mum is a breast cancer survivor.
My Grandma is a melanoma survivor.
My best friend died of melanoma 1 month ago. She had to undergo numerous operations where they tried to cut it out (the only way they can ‘treat’ melanoma) but it kept moving and popping up in different places. She was only 26 when she died and would have turned 27 next Thursday. All becuase her cancer was not diagnosed in time.
The operations do look like butchery in so many ways. The truth is modern medicine isn’t as modern as we may like to think.
Please, if you have any spare pennies donate to cancer research.
And whatever you do make sure you have regular breast and skin checks. Go straight to the doctor even if you have just the tiniest ounce of doubt. And if you see a doctor and are still not happy get a second opinion. Or even a third (it was only after seeing a 3rd doctor, a third opinion after being told all was fine, that my Grandma got a freckle cut out of her leg – turns out it was melanoma – she is fine now thank god for her perserverance with the doctors!)
An operation IS horrific but it is a million times better than being dead like my beautiful friend.
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*hugs* to you
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Thanks Gnats! =)
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I’m so sorry to hear about your friend
My friend’s boyfriend died at 29 of lung cancer. He was a social smoker for only a few years in his early 20′s and didn’t go to the doctor when he started getting symptoms. Also my stepdad had a melanoma and had a 20cm chunk cut out of his leg despite being vigilant about sunscreen, covering up and staying in the shade all his life. Cancer isn’t just a disease for the middle aged or irresponsible, it can strike young people, and careful people as well. So we need to do regular checks, and when something doesn’t feel “quite right”, not to ignore it, but go to your doctor.
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That was incredibly moving, humbling and really opened up my naive eyes to the world of breast cancer.
Infinite respect for the beautiful and courageous women who took part.
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This is so inspirational.
I lost an aunt who was a breast cancer survivor two years ago to liver cancer. When I was very young I did not understand the scars and patchy skin I could see surrounding the breast tissue.
These pictures really put a face to breast cancer, and make me realise how courageous she really was.
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Those women are all so incredibly beautiful. The one who was crying broke my heart.
And to think I was about to whinge on the post about cossies how difficult it is for me to find bikinis to fit my breast size! Puts my trivial worry into perspective.
I am truly humbled
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breathtaking! I think you often forget that they will have scars to carry for the rest of their lives; regardless of whether they battle the cancer or not. thanks Mia
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Really really beautiful images.
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Speechless.
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What couragous women.
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So Beautiful.
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Wow, that is fantastic. What an eye opener. Fantastic project to raise awareness. The women in these pics are so brave-for standing up to the disease and showing it like it really is.
Great work.
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Respect
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this finally puts a ‘real face’ to the whole breast cancer campaign. Why is there not free screening for women under 40 if there are over 10,000 cases?
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I am no expert but my understanding is that mamograms are not as effective for women under 40, as it is more difficult to see breast cancers amongst the glanular (milk producing) tissue of younger women than it is to see them against the more fatty breast tissue of older women. Having said that, there are probably other methods of breast cancer detection that could be used for younger women (ultrasound??), and I am a supporter of free screening for all women.
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Yea, apparently breast scrrening is quite useless for women under 40 as breasts are too firm for anything to show up. My doctor reminds me all the time when she nags me to self-examine!!
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Yeah I had an ultrasound and a mammogram this year as I found lumps (I’m only 33). The ultrasound showed some glandular tissue and cysts but the mammogram didn’t show anything as my tissue was too dense.
And remember that you need to do a self check to pick anything up in the first place!
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I just can’t figure out the self examination thing, my breasts are quite lumpy anyway and my doctor says its normal for women my age (31). So I check and its a million lumps… I just get a check from my doctor every now and then to be sure.
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I think the idea of a breast exam is to know what your breasts feel like so if there are changes from the norm you are aware of it.
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Good point. But I’ve been breastfeeding for 2 years so they change all the time. I guess women who are pregnant/ breastfeeding should get their doctors to do the examinations more often than just doing them alone.
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Being 24 and having lumps found by the doctor I was referred to a private hospital for an ultra-sound, which is the only way of having a breast screen on younger women. I was horrified to learn that between my doctor’s bill and the scan I was out of pocket $200 – all up the bills where just over $300!!
If they want early detection then they should make these tests accessible for women of all ages. As I have a family history of breast cancer having the test, and having it done at a very well regarded hospital was vital, but not everyone can afford that money…It ended up on my credit card as I don’t budget to have expenses like that on a Monday after going to the doctor for a routine checkup on the Friday.
MAKE IT FREE!!!
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Wow. Those images are incredibly beautiful… and incredibly confronting. I’ve seen plenty of breast cancer surgery ‘after’ photos, but these are particularly stark, for some reason. Really powerful. What a fantastic project.
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Yes, that is what my mum looks like.
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my mum too. And just in the last couple of weeks I have noticed her make a couple of comments that has led me to believe she is not comfortable with her scar as I though she was.
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My mum was the same. At first she was really positive. 6-9 months down the track the reality set in. Around that time she told me that it was only then that she was realising that she had actually had cancer. All the way through the doctors told her she only had “pre-cancer” (which was a load of bull). I think there really can be a delayed response.
All that was about 5 years ago now. I know she is still not totally comfortable with her scar, but she has pads she can put in her bra and is more cool with that now. I know for the first few years she found it all really hard, trying to be optimistic and positive about it for those around her. On one hand she felt lucky to have survived it but on the other she was horrified and the scar is a constant and ugly reminder.
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I always knew breast cancer (or any cancer) is terrible…
But I had no idea!
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the one with the woman with the tears down her face. so poignant. so beautiful. thank you mia.
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These pictures are very confronting. And the women are so brave. There but for the grace of God go I. This has given me a miniscule insight into what happens when you have breast cancer.
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Wow, I love these photos and the women in them.
The Photographer has captured so much emotion and expression on the faces of these remarkable women. Although tinged with sadness and fear, I see brave, triumphant, sexy survivors when I look at these pictures.
It brings home that it could be any of us going through this. What I love most about these photos is how they show that by losing a breast one does not actually lose their femininity.
I see more femininity in these women than in the models on the pages of a glossy magazine. They are really honest, sexy photos!
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I ‘thought’ I knew so much about breast cancer from pink ribbon campaigns and TV ads. I knew NOTHING. These pics have, for the first time, helped me to understand in some small measure what it must be like for people living with or recovering from breast cancer.
These women are awesome and I pray for health for all of them.
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Wow, this was so hard to look at but what brave courageous young women. My mum dies from breast cancer more than 20 years ago. I was only 17 when she had a radical mastectomy and it was a year before she offered to let me see her scar. She was a beautiful woman who was always very happy with her appearance and loved that at 50 odd she had a better bikini bod than most girls her age LOL! She had a prosthetic breast and altered all her strappy tops and bikini so she could slip it in and still feel like “her”. It wasn’t until I saw the ugly scar the surgeons left behind that I appreciated how hard it must have been to maintain her strength and self image in a society that judges us on our appearance. It was , simply put, horrific, and must have been devastating to her. She only showed me the once:( she always said it was easier to lose a breast than her life so she handled it with grace, courage and a whopping sense of humour – while gardening one day, her “plastic boob” fell out of her top into the dirt, while our male neighbor looked on in horror! She quickly washed it under the hose, put it back in and looked at him and said ” not too many women can do that!!!” lol, was very very funny. Miss her every day:)
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She sounds like a beautiful woman.
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She was Peanut, thank you x
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That is funny Meerkath, My mum had the same thing happen crossing at the lights in the city once when I was with her! Her prosthetic fell down in her jumper and she jsut laughed and said “will you look at that my boob fell out!” I still laugh at the memory. My daughter 5 says Mamma hit her Boob so they had to take it off. All said with humour and love. I still thank (?) every day my mum is still here. Sorry for your loss.
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Lol Alice, what amazing mums we have! Never underestimate good humour in adversity, certainly they have taught us to appreciate what we have! Xo
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Gosh I am crying remembering my Mum too. Her prosthetic boob would fall out when she was gardening too! Mum had breast cancer in her early 30′s and I remember as a child thinking how nice the prosthetic felt, especially if she’d been wearing it and it was still warm from her skin. She’s since passed away, but she survived breast cancer and lived for over thirty years with that awful big scar. She was so brave and strong. I miss her so much.
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I’m so sorry Jill, it is so hard when we lose our mums so young. My mum was actually my adoptive mum,, which is to say, she was my mum! She died when I was 19 from breast cancer and I later met and have a wonderful relationship with my birth parents, going on 20 years. To my shock and horror, my birth mum also got breast cancer last year, as well as her younger sister. It was my worst nightmare come true but in some ways I am lucky I know them and their history as I am just over 40 and can have free mammograms and ultrasounds:) she has survived it so far and dint need a mastectomy, but the difference in treatment from 20 years ago was astounding.
I had to have a chuckle, both our mums gardening and their prosthetics falling out lol. Xox
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Thanks so much Meerkath. Many years after my mum had her mastectomy she was told by a well-meaning female doctor that if she had had the operation done 20 years after it was actually done, then they would have done a lumpectomy rather than the mastectomy. I was really annoyed on Mum’s behalf, but then on the other hand they did then what they had to do, and she survived, so I couldn’t be too upset!
Nobody else in our family has had breast cancer though, so that’s something, but still I get checked up and will have the mammograms done as soon as the doctor says I should (I’m 38 now). At least we know to check ourselves and what to look for. My Mum found her lump while checking herself in the shower using hot soapy water. It makes checking easier.
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Wow, what a wonderful woman. I’m so sorry she was taken from you so early.
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Oh, those photos and those women going through all of that. How awful. How brave you all were for posing for those photos. Especially the red headed woman with the tear rolling down her cheek… My love and thoughts to anyone battling this insidious disease. xx
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Wow – these are amazing shots!
I burst into tears at the seventh photo…
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As I looked at these photos my hands went to my breasts. When I was 22 I had a lump removed – which was benign. I have a scar around my areolar, as I requested the lump to be removed that way as the lump was high up on my breast and the scar would show. These women are so incredibly brave and strong – but for the grace of god go I.
thank you for sharing these photos. it has made me thoughtful, and incredibly thankful.
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This is a far better representation of ‘real’ women than the AWW ad on today’s other Mamamia post!
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Yes!!!
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I was just about to write the same thing!
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Me too.
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These ladies are inspiring, amazing, brave, courageous and beautiful. And Congratulations to David Jay for putting together such a beautiful collection.
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