Popular rapper-singer-songwriter Iggy Azalea, 29, doesn’t like her own clothing to be too girly or feminine. That’s probably how she knows that not all breast cancer survivors want their clothes to be too girly either.
Azalea designed a new long sleeve T-shirt to raise money for breast cancer awareness, but unlike most breast cancer merchandise, which is often pink and feminine to represent a disease that mostly affects women (though breast cancer does also effect men), Azalea’s design is hard core and recognizes that women going through cancer are rebellious and rad.
Read MoreI designed this for breast cancer awareness.
It's rock/wrestler vibes!
I felt it would be good to offer an alternate to the typical ultra feminine designs which seem to all be so visually similar.
I also wanted any women with scars to feel empowered & SEEN
Do you like it? pic.twitter.com/rpq1uVf99oIGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) September 23, 2019
Azalea’s fans seem to be really excited about the garment, and about the way Azalea is using her platform to help people who are sick, “YES! this is stunning and the message behind it is so powerful, killing it again ms azalea x.”
One supporter said he’ll definitely be getting one for his relative, “this is fucking stunning. i'm getting one for my aunt :')”
And another talked about how clear the message of the shirt is, “It basically screams visually strength. I am a graphic designer so good job!”
And others talked about wanting to buy the shirt for or because of a a close family member with cancer, “Is there anyway I can get one for my mom she starts chemo Thursday and is petrified.”
“My aunt died from this cancer… so it's really amazing that you're actually using your platform for something like this. I love it. I'll buy it, for sure.”
Another called Iggy and her design “iconic,” “You keep killing these, not every role model does all this inspirational stuff. i swear, i love you sm. this is so iconic, one of a kind. Definitely spending my coins.”
Information about body positivity after breast cancer
This year, about 268,600 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in this country, according to the National Cancer Institute, making up about 15.2 percent of new cancer cases. About 41,700 people will die from the disease this year, which will be about 6.9 percent of deaths from cancer.
For a lot of women going through the disease, losing part or all of the breast can be really difficult. Whether trying to choose between lumpectomy and mastectomy (breast removal), deciding on breast reconstruction, or opting not to have reconstruction, finding confidence and figuring out what is most comfortable for each individual patient is really important when making decisions around breast cancer surgery.
Breast cancer survivor Marianne Cuozzo, who joined the “go flat” movement, opting out of reconstruction after her double mastectomy, talked to SurvivorNet about her experience finding confidence in her body and her scars after cancer.
When Cuozzo realized that she’d have no sensation in her breasts if she got reconstruction, she started to wonder why she was having the surgery at all, “Why was I doing that? And who was I doing that for? And then I realized I was doing it for everyone else’s sake.”
She doesn’t try to pretend it’s been an easy journey to body positivity, “It’s been very hard. I’m not going to say that it’s been easy. It’s a very hard experience because I’m trying very hard to feel as beautiful as I once did.”
But she knows how important it is that women stick together and help each other feel good about their bodies, "A lot of us women are sticking together and helping each other through this journey of being this new look," she says. "We're trying to make it so that it's not this stigma."
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