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Breast Cancer Survivors Rock 'Flat Tops' in Powerful Underwear Ads

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These three women have a story to tell with their bodies.

An underwear brand called Play Out, which makes and sells gender neutral underwear, has released a body-positive photo series featuring three breast cancer survivors. Each of the women in the series have undergone double mastectomies, and they all chose not to have reconstructive surgery.

Jodi Jaecks + Emily Jensen_in PLAY OUT Wired Briefs_Photo Credit Candace Doyal_6841
Emily Jensen and Jodi Jaecks. Photo by Candace Doyadfs.

In the photos, survivors Emily Jensen, Jodi Jaecks and Melanie Testa bear their scars to raise awareness and to challenge preconceived notions of femininity and what it means to be sexy.

Play Out created the images in collaboration with FlatTopper Pride, a new breast cancer support community dedicated to unilaterally and bilaterally flat LGBTQ individuals who choose not to undergo breast reconstruction or wear prostheses.

Melanie Testa_in PLAY OUT Wired Briefs_Photo Credit Nomi Ellenson_13
Melanie Testa. Photo by Nomi Ellenson.

“A photo can have the greatest impact — it exposes people to the reality of a post-cancer body,” Jodi Jaecks told The Mighty. “I want to start a movement to expose and normalize these images of bodies and to hopefully support and motivate women who don’t want to have reconstructive surgery. I want them to feel like that’s an acceptable choice and to know that it doesn’t diminish their womanhood or their sexuality.”

Jodi Jaecks + Emily Jensen_in PLAY OUT Wired Briefs_Photo Credit Candace Doyal_6906
Emily Jensen and Jodi Jaecks. Photo by Candace Doyadfs.

“I see being breastless as liberatory,” Jensen said in the press release. “People speak of post-mastectomy bodies as being abnormal or disfigured, and that’s horrible. My body is surgically altered, but it is not abnormal, and it is still very sexy.”

Melanie Testa_in PLAY OUT Mechanisme Briefs_Photo Credit Nomi Ellenson_8
Melanie Testa. Photo by Nomi Ellenson.

“Living in a society that does not reflect the image of my body, breastless, scarred, affected by cancer, has great consequence and influence to those who are newly diagnosed,” Testa added.

See more of the powerful images below: 

Rain Dove and Melanie Testa_Nomi Ellenson_025EDIT
Androgynous model Rain Dove with Melanie Testa. Photo by Nomi Ellenson.
Jodi Jaecks + Emily Jensen_in PLAY OUT Wired Briefs_Photo Credit Candace Doyal_6844
Emily Jensen and Jodi Jaecks. Photo by Candace Doyadfs.
Jodi Jaecks + Emily Jensen_in PLAY OUT Wired Briefs_Photo Credit Candace Doyal_6790
Emily Jensen and Jodi Jaecks. Photo by Candace Doyadfs.
Jodi Jaecks + Emily Jensen_in PLAY OUT Plexus Briefs_Photo Credit Candace Doyal_6648
Emily Jensen and Jodi Jaecks. Photo by Candace Doyadfs.
Melanie Testa_in PLAY OUT Plexus Briefs_Photo Credit Nomi Ellenson_4
Melanie Testa. Photo by Nomi Ellenson.
Melanie Testa_in PLAY OUT Plexus Briefs_Photo Credit Nomi Ellenson_6
Melanie Testa. Photo by Nomi Ellenson.
Melanie Testa_in PLAY OUT Plexus Briefs_Photo Credit Nomi Ellenson_2
Melanie Testa. Photo by Nomi Ellenson.

To see more of Play Out’s gender neutral underwear line, go here.

h/t HuffPost Women

Photos by Nomi Ellenson

Originally published: May 22, 2015
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