In front of the mirror

Breast cancer treatments have the ability to transform a woman's image with temporary transformations such as hair loss or permanent ones such as the removal of the diseased breast(s) which in many cases can be reconstructed through plastic surgery. However the fact is that mastectomy can affect women both physically and psychologically as it removes an organ loaded with meanings linked to female identity motherhood and sexuality as well as being a valued symbol of beauty in our society. With this in mind we discussed breast cancer as a disease that affects women's bodies and self-image reflecting on the impacts of discovering the disease and experiencing the procedures to treat it and understanding how women relate to their bodies which have been transformed for the sake of their health. The research that underpinned this work was qualitative enabling us to better understand the subjects we interviewed and through bibliographical research we dialogued with authors who discuss our categories.