Angelina Jolie underwent a double mastectomy over a decade ago.
Now, for the first time, she is putting her scars on display.
Unlike some painful events from her past, Jolie says that she’s sharing these out of love.
When she helps normalize preventative care and open discussions, it could help save lives.
Angelina Jolie already shares her scars with ‘women I love’
In a new interview with TIME France, Angelina Jolie explains why she is showing her double mastectomy scars.
“I share these scars with many women I love,” she expressed.
“And,” Jolie noted, “I’m always moved when I see other women share theirs.”
The beloved actress explained: “I wanted to join them.”
Jolie emphasized that she did so “knowing that TIME France would be sharing information about breast health, prevention, and knowledge about breast cancer.”
As you can see, Jolie poses for the cover photo in a low-cut black top.
One of her hands covers one breast.
Photos showcasing her double mastectomy scars will accompany the full interview.
That interview is out on December 18.
Jolie received a disturbing amount of backlash for going under the knife. Some people truly have skewed priorities. It is good that she does not.
What is the BRCA1 gene? What is its link to breast cancer?
In 2013, Angelina Jolie underwent a double mastectomy. She also had her ovaries removed.
Both her mother and her grandmother had died when she was young. She did not want the same for any of her children.
Jolie had also learned that she carried the BRCA1 gene.
This is what’s known as a caretaker gene and is supposed to play a role in repairing DNA and damaged cells.
However, if BRCA1 proteins undergo mutation (as any cell might), it will then “repair” cells incorrectly — causing an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Jolie is currently 50 years old. Her mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand, died at 56.
Taking the medical steps to preventatively spare herself from the same fate was a powerful, positive choice.
Talking about the surgery, calling attention to preventative cancer treatment, pays that forward.
Not everyone has access to healthcare or the financial resources to afford this surgery (and the time to recover) even if they did.
But many of those who do might hesitate to take this step due to social stigmas. Jolie is working to change that.
There is a lot of stigma to overcome
Essentially, Angelina Jolie is helping to normalize sharing mastectomy scars.
Most of the time, when we see mastectomy scars, they are on men. There, they are an unmitigated mark of celebration.
But the stigma of a woman removing her breasts, on the other hand, can be insidious within our culture.
Men can take it as a personal attack, somehow. That happened a dozen years ago when Jolie underwent her double mastectomy.
As long as there are men who would rather see a woman die than undergo a mastectomy, preventable cancers will continue to claim lives.