I'm Flat And I'm Proud

Who needs breasts? Not these women, who are embracing a new kind of freedom

- Catherine Guthrie

IN 2014, WHEN Sarah Brown of Vancouver, Washington, learned she’d tested positive for the BRCA2 gene mutation, she had no qualms about getting a double mastectomy. The idea of reconstruction, however, gave the 37-year-old small-business owner pause. Brown was fond of her 38Cs, primarily because they were hers, not surgically re-created, mostly numb breasts.

Still, Brown met with a plastic surgeon, who recommended a DIEP flap reconstruction, which involves creating new breasts out of skin and fat from the patient’s lower belly. She also talked to her therapist and joined a discussion board for women undergoing mastectomy and DIEP flap—and cringed at the grueling recovery stories. Then Brown discovered Flat & Fabulous, a Facebook page where women who’d had a mastectomy posted pictures of their unreconstructed chests along with stories about how, after just a few weeks of discomfort, they were back to jogging, biking, and playing with their kids. Brown noted that instead of comparing notes about pain control and follow-up surgeries, these women were sharing fashion tips and cheering one another on. She was sold.