Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Tip of the Day: Feeling Sexy Post-Mastectomy

Shopping for lingerie can either be really fun, or a little nerve wracking. And to be honest, I've never been that into lingerie before, until I went on my honeymoon this past July. Now to back up for one second, for those of you who don’t know, my name is Lauren Bash. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 27 and only 4 months before my wedding. I went on to have a double mastectomy, a very traumatic experience, as I approached the “most romantic” time of my life: my wedding and my honeymoon! I wanted to look great for my new husband. So I shopped all over for the perfect piece that wasn't too sexy but wasn't innocent either.  I started at Victoria's Secret and didn’t find many options. Most pieces were for women that had a much smaller bust, and everything seemed to have underwire, which my breast surgeon clearly said multiple times was a “No-No.”  


I quickly realized that Victoria's Secret was not for me, so I explored Bloomingdales. I felt like I struck gold! There were so many options and everything lived up to my definition of classy lingerie.  I wound up really enjoying my experience. Though I had expanders, there was one (very small) silver lining to all of this: I didn’t need to wear a bra anymore, so everything fit perfectly! I made sure nothing I bought had underwire or a built-in bra and just went with what I felt the sexiest in.  I walked out of the store with two pieces: one romper (which was my husband’s favorite), and one beautiful, tasteful piece with lace on top and a string that I could make as tight or as lose as I wanted.  And given that I wasn’t completely comfortably with my scars, I found these pieces that weren’t sheer, but still made me feel sexy. After months of feeling down about my body post mastectomy, I felt that both lingerie outfits really enhanced my self-esteem and made me feel beautiful again.

It's amazing what a little lingerie can do for your spirits (and your husband’s)!

If you have any tips of your own on how you are "Fighting Pretty," please email us at fightingpretty@gmail.com so we can share with other women out there just like you!

Content provided by the beautiful and courageous, Lauren Bash*.


*Lauren Bash is now 6 months pregnant and is due in July.

1 comment:

  1. Lauren,
    Congratulations on your baby!! Thank you for posting this entry, when I saw the words "post-mastecomy" and "sexy," the title immediately caught my eye! My plastic surgeon did not ban me from underwire bras. I got diagnosed last year, at age 42, so I spent many years investing in very nice lingerie. I love lingerie. The saddest thing for me is the idea of not being able to fit into the lingerie. Now, I'm thinking I may want to hand in my B/C cup for a C/D cup, why not? And your thoughts exactly: I won't even need to wear a bra!! I had a single mastectomy in April and am having a prophylactic mastectomy in a month or two. I can't wait to see my new reconstructed boobs! I would have liked to have kept my real ones, don't get me wrong! Actually, I was featured in a WSJ article about my decision to have a double mastectomy: http://www.wsj.com/articles/defying-doctors-more-women-with-breast-cancer-choose-double-mastectomies-1436545322
    Thank you for sharing your story!
    Chiara
    www.beautythroughthebeast.com

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