Whenever someone asks me, “How on earth did you wind up topless in People Magazine?” I have to laugh—because the story is every bit as surreal as it sounds. But it also carries an important truth: sometimes the radical, unexpected path is the one that brings you into the brightest light.
The Beginning: Facing My Post-Mastectomy Body
It started with a bathroom mirror, a buzzed head, and a body that felt both mine and not mine. I had just finished chemo. My breasts were gone, flattened into neat surgical lines. My hair was gone. Eyebrows too.
The mirror reflected loss, but also a clean canvas. And somewhere deep inside, a flicker of determination. That’s what compelled me to call up my friend and brilliant photographer, Hilary Gauld, to suggest a photo shoot—not despite my new body, but because of it.
The Photo Shoot That Changed Everything
On shoot day, Hilary’s studio filled with pop music, bold lipstick, and borrowed courage. At first, I posed in a tee and cutoffs, stiff and uncertain.
Then the shirt came off. Bare, chest and scars shining under the lights, I stood, shaking, then steadying, then standing taller. Vulnerability transformed into something I hadn’t expected: pride.
Looking back, this was my own version of the butterfly effect—a single decision to show up authentically, scars and all, set off a ripple I could never have predicted. One photo led to a submission, which led to an editor’s yes, which ultimately reached millions of women who needed to see a different version of beauty.
Hilary sent a few shots to People Magazine, never imagining they’d say yes. But the editor didn’t just say yes—they said: “We want to tell your story to the world.”
Becoming the First Woman to Go Topless in People Magazine
Suddenly, I wasn’t just Ellyn, breast cancer survivor—I was the first woman ever to appear topless in People Magazine, specifically because I have no breasts.
Women with natural breasts had graced those pages countless times, but to show a flat, post-mastectomy chest? That was unheard of.
My choice not to pursue breast mound reconstruction wasn’t political. It was personal. I didn’t want more surgeries. I didn’t want to become someone else’s idea of “whole.” I wanted to heal and get back to living—scars and all.
The Headline That Went Viral
People’s headline read: “I Felt Powerful After My Double Mastectomy.”
They even ran a follow-up article the next week. The response was overwhelming. Women from around the world wrote to tell me they finally felt seen. That my story reflected them—whole and beautiful, even (or especially) without breasts.
That’s the thing about the butterfly effect: what begins as a tiny action—in my case, saying yes to a vulnerable photo shoot—can end up transforming not just your own life, but the lives of countless others.
From Invisible to Impossible to Ignore
When I first went flat, I worried I would become invisible. Instead, I became impossible to ignore.
For the first time in People’s history, a woman’s post-cancer chest wasn’t just tolerated—it was celebrated. And I earned the crazy honor of becoming the first woman to appear topless in People Magazine.
If you had told my pre-cancer self that this would be my claim to fame—that I’d strip to show my scars for millions, with not a single breast in sight—I would have laughed you right out of the room.
But that’s the point: sometimes our bravest work isn’t about being restored to what we were, but about showing up, unvarnished, exactly as we are.
That’s the thing about the butterfly effect: what begins as a tiny action—in my case, saying yes to a vulnerable photo shoot—can end up transforming not just your own life, but the lives of countless others.
Why This Story Matters
Going flat after a mastectomy is still stigmatized, often hidden from view. Women still shrink away in shame. By choosing to share my scars publicly, I wanted to normalize the impact of breast cancer, normalize flat and scarred bodies and show the world another version of beauty after breast cancer.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that bold choices often create the biggest ripples. Just like the butterfly effect, standing topless in People Magazine wasn’t just about me—it was about the women who saw themselves reflected and felt less alone.
There is nothing braver—or bolder—than choosing to live, and live proud, in the aftermath.
Related Reading:
- The Ultimate Guide to Fashion for Women with a Single Mastectomy
- Why I Founded a Swimsuit for Post-Mastectomy Brand
- Read the Original People Magazine Feature Here
- The Ultimate Guide to the Butterfly Effect: How Small Actions Create Big Change
- Get Ellyn’s book Flat Please on Amazon!
- Follow Ellyn on YouTube
