Fashion and Breast Cancer
@gigihadid
Fashion can have a positive impact on women in general, promoting confidence, a sense of self, individuality, and feel-good emotions. Celebrating October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to tell you about some of the ways in which fashion can actually help women who are fighting breast cancer.
Beauty
Breast cancer can have so many negative effects on body image: losing hair and bruising easily from chemo, having breasts removed, and the nausea, exhaustion, and pain that comes along with all of this can result in a really negative impact on mental health. During this challenging time, if you can find a day to put on makeup, fix your hair, and take some photos after you’re finished to highlight and celebrate your beauty, you can decrease your depressive symptoms, as shown in a study that featured breast cancer patients.
When you’re sick for a long period of time it’s important to feel beautiful, because when you’re happy with the way you look and with your body image, you feel mentally better, which leads to better physical sensations. Accentuating your features and creating that glow for yourself can do so much for your psychological state of mind.
Fashion Therapy
Another study showed that fashion therapy can decrease depression for those with breast cancer by facilitating positive emotions, self-efficacy, and body satisfaction. How this works is after being diagnosed with breast cancer or finishing treatment, go through your closet to see what you no longer feel comfortable wearing, and then buy new clothes or make the necessary outfit adjustments to wear what feels best to you. This will create a safe and comfortable feeling with your body while promoting higher levels of confidence.
Fashion creates a beautiful way to get involved in the healing process of someone you love. Doing a beauty photoshoot and/or going shopping with a friend battling breast cancer can do a good deal for she who is going through a difficult time.
I hope this blog encourages you to pass along this information to help those you know who are affected by breast cancer. Remember that you have more control and power over your mental health than any diagnosis; you are stronger than you might think.