Actress Olivia Munn is making waves again by showcasing her mastectomy scars in a new campaign for Kim Kardashian’s SKIMs brand. And good on her. Good on SKIMS for showing those scars. Let’s not diminish for one instant what she has been through. Munn, who was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer in April 2023 after tests revealed she had luminal B — a fast-moving, aggressive cancer — in both breasts, had five surgeries including a lymph node dissection, a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy.
That’s not nothing. She is fucking badass. We all are.
The double-edged sword of celebrities with breast cancer
But as I have written before in this blog, the image portrayed of breast cancer by celebrities, like Olivia Munn and Angelina Jolie, who have access to the very best and most skilled of diagnosticians, medical equipment, oncologists, plastic surgeons, the luxury of the best of healthcare, and the ability to take time off and not face financial toxicity related to their care, is a double-edged sword. On one hand, sure, it normalizes conversations about breast cancer and post-mastectomy self-acceptance and encourages women to take action whether that is advocating for themselves, knowing their risk or getting screened. Munn has an amazing and important message and a platform to share it. I love that and salute her for her openness.
At the same time, focusing on celebrities with breast cancer also portrays the disease (as stars do) in a polished, refined way that is not even close to most women’s reality with breast cancer.
Hear me when I say, that none of this is not easy, this is not beautiful, it is ugly and raw and hard. For celebrities AND the common folk.
I recently travelled to New York with my daughter to walk in a charity runway show. Almost all the models were breast cancer survivors who opted out of breast mound reconstruction for one or both breasts. It was an eye-opening experience for my daughter. My breast cancer scars are the only ones she has ever seen. She didn’t realize not all women are treated with the same level of care.
You see, I know I drew the lucky card with my surgeon. He was compassionate and respectful that I was a woman and cared about my physical appearance. He understood that I needed to feel good in my body. My scars are smooth – the product his skilled hand, and oncoplastic surgery techniques. Similarly, the scars Olivia Munn shows in the SKIMS campaign are also smooth and clean, discreetly hidden under her new breast implants. She looks perfect and movie-star beautiful even after her ordeal. I am quite certain, although not depicted, she has had expertly done nipple tattoos.
We are the lucky ones.
There are women I know, including many who walked the runway with me, who were left coping with puckered, jagged scars, and empty cavities devoid of breast tissue. Other women are left by their doctors with excess skin “in case they change their mind.” Some have surgeons who refuse to take the second breast — leaving them not only scarred but asymmetrical and lopsided. Through the work I do I have spoken with these women who express their grief over the state of their body. I see photos of post-operative scars that are nothing more than absolute butchery. Women are stapled up, left with puckers, lumps and dog ears (pouches of tissue in the underarms). This is not a rare thing. These photos are shared and posted in our Facebook groups every week.
These women were not granted the care that Olivia Munn (or myself, a mere human) was given.
Olivia Munn and I made different breast reconstruction choices. She opted for impants and has new (possibly nipple-free) breasts. I chose aesthetic flat closure and have no breasts at all. But at least we were left by our surgeons with our dignity. We can look at our new bodies without embarrassment or shame. Dare I say it, I am proud of my smooth, clean scars and I am unafraid to show them to the world. Obviously, Olivia Munn feels the same. As reported, she has said publicly that she is doing this campaign because done being insecure.
In my humble opinion, every woman who goes through breast cancer deserves to move forward in life with confidence. They all should be treated with this level of care. We all should feel beautiful and unashamed in our new body. The trauma of breast cancer surgery and treatment is hard. We deserve the best. This kind of care and compassion should not be reserved for celebrities and the few of us who are the lucky ones.
