Reconstructing the self: breast cancer and the post-surgical body

Abstract

In this paper I examine the impact of breast reconstruction on the current status of the mastectomised body. For women who have had a breast amputated, the option of breast reconstruction offers a sense of hope of regaining lost femininity, sexuality and normalcy. This article reveals that there is no discursive space available for women to reconceptualise their bodies as normal or feminine without breasts. Instead, the post-surgical body is situated as transient, to be ‘fixed’ as soon as possible. A case study of one woman’s failed bilateral reconstruction explores the construction of choice and its implications for the post-surgical body. This study demonstrates that while the expectation of regaining two-breasts prevails, mastectomised women may be unable to renegotiate a ‘complete’ body without them.

Key Words:

• breast cancer
• breast reconstruction
• choice
• femininity
• identity
• mastectomy
• normality