Know and Love Your Lemons (Ep. 2)
Join me as I educate on breast health awareness from my experience of being treated for early-stage breast cancer (Stage 0) at 40 years old. I will be sharing information to help inform about the knowledge, prevention and treatment of breast cancer.
Here I’ll talk about the importance of loving, embracing and knowing your breasts.
And I’ll share an incredible phone App that makes it easier than ever.
So, here's a brief Spanish lesson for you:
In Spain, a colloquial word for the female breast is “mama.” It’s incredibly similar to “mamá,” meaning Mother/Mom. And in fact, Spanish is not the only language with this onomatopoeic convergence. Colloquial words for breast and mother are also similar, or the same, in Portuguese, Italian and Greek. While I’m not a linguist, I find that the sharing of these two terms sheds light on breast culture in both Spain and Europe. I’ll explain.
I feel that here in Spain, where I live in Barcelona, the attitude towards the “mamas” is quite liberal compared to my conservative Southern upbringing in North Carolina in the USA. (And to zoom out from just the “mama,” I’ve found that body image and body consciousness here are different beings entirely when compared to the United States. Perhaps more on that later.) It is completely common to see topless women on most beaches, as well as mothers breastfeeding on public transport or even walking down the street - talk about multitasking!
Don’t get me wrong, the “mamas” are surely sexualized in Europe, but I find a different balance here between them being an object of desire and their actual functionality.
While the sexualization of breasts has steadily increased in our modern society, their function of feeding mammalian offspring has remained the same since the female Homo Sapien began breastfeeding 6 million years ago.
Source: https://www.mamava.com/mamava-blog/history-of-breastfeeding
(And by the way, if you’re interested in the evolution of mankind, I highly recommend Yuval Noah Harari’s book “Sapiens.” You can find it here through this affiliated Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3w91Hnm)
This isn’t to say that the intention of female breasts varies greatly for every individual; not all women will or intend to breastfeed, but all female-born women are equipped to do so.
I will also add here that culture plays a prominent role in how breasts are accepted and viewed by society. Some cultures openly accept female breasts, viewing them as symbols of fertility and nourishment, while other cultures have become more obsessed with their aesthetic value.
Why am I talking about breast culture?
Because there are studies showing women feeling shame and embarrassment around breast health and breast cancer detection methods. These reasons can be complex, but the sexualization of the breast may be partly to blame. Societal expectations around beauty standards can make women feel judged or objectified during breast cancer screenings, lowering motivation to prioritize these vital preventative measures. This can also lead to women being hesitant to conduct Breast Self-Exams (BSE) due to concerns about feeling exposed and vulnerable.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8285093/
So, what’s a gal to do?
The only thing she can do - embrace and love her “mamas” in all their glory!
I have found in my own personal body acceptance that gratitude towards function aids greatly in trumping insecurities of form.
Appreciating what my physical body does for me so that I can thrive in my nonstop modern life has been hugely successful in fostering a love for it. And my breasts are no different. While I am not a mother (to a human that is, my Frenchie, Zelda Maria, overfills my maternal cup of love), nor have I ever breastfed, I do appreciate the miraculous function of this body part as well as my future health. And it is within this space of gratitude that I want to ensure that they (and I) are taken care of. By regularly checking my breasts and keeping up with preventative measures, such as mammograms, I commit myself to taking care of my two breasts on this one body that carries me through life.
How can you commit to your own breast health?
Turns out there’s an app for that, too! If you don’t know about the Know Your Lemons organization, let me happily get you acquainted.
Their mission is clear and simple: “Our global charity educates about breast health in a refreshing way that saves lives from breast cancer.”
Source: https://www.knowyourlemons.org
Odds are you might have seen their viral photo showcasing lemons as breasts, educating the signs and 12 symptoms of breast changes for breast cancer education. If not, here it is below.
You can find their website at www.knowyourlemons.org, where information is abundant regarding breast education, health and breast cancer prevention.
And in true modern form, they have a free, award winning app that makes keeping up with your breast health as easy as ever.
In their app, you can learn about the proper techniques for how and when to do Breast Self-Exams (BSE) - yes, your breasts have a cycle, too. You can also track your mammogram schedule, learn in-depth information about the 12 signs of breast cancer, and more - like this informative image below about the inside of your breast. Who knew?!
You can download it for iOS on the Apple App Store here, and for Android on Google Play here.
And for a quick guide on Breast Self-Exams (BSE), check out the image below for an overview. You can find an audio-guided tutorial on the app.
Know and love your breasts, mamas, lemons or whatever you want to call them in all their glory, y’all!
My next blog entry in this series will be about mammograms. I’ll be explaining the importance of them and their process. Spoiler: Mammography is currently the most reliable form of breast cancer screening that we currently have. More to come on that soon.
As always, thanks for being here!
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Take care & continue creating,
