BOOBS
Statistics show that 1 in 7 women will be affected by breast cancer in their lifetime, and it is the most common cancer in women aged 25-49. However, almost half of women in the UK do not check their breasts regularly, and that falls to just 36% of women in the 18-35 age group. 1 in 10 have never checked them at all! Worrying stats when the majority of breast cancer cases are detected because women have spotted a change to their breasts.
The reasons more commonly given for people not checking their breasts are that they forget or don’t feel confident that they know what normal is or what changes to look for. Breast checking is quick and easy and there is no special technique, it just needs to be done regularly so that you know what is normal for you and can spot any changes.
In a world where breasts are sexualised, censored, or concealed it is hard to know what is normal. We need to be able to talk openly about our breasts, not to hide them away, and to realise what an incredible multitude of different boobs there are out there. It is not about what is or isn’t a ‘normal boob’, just what is normal for you.
This exhibition aims to destigmatise boobs, encourage people to know their normal and check themselves.
Avoiding overly idolising or glamorising the subject matter, Ester photographs and films a series of boobs in motion and up close. They are real, moving, changing, adapting body parts and they are all different. Ester wanted to have fun with the project, to bring a smile to the viewer’s face and to lighten a subject matter which can be scary and overwhelming in the hope of making it more approachable and less daunting. Using humour, not scare tactics, to create a lasting impression.
