To have breast reconstruction surgery or remain flat?

Facing a breast cancer diagnosis
that requires a mastectomy is difficult enough, but following it comes
the question of reconstruction.  Sometimes it is possible to do the
two procedures at the same time, sometimes not, and sometimes a
decision takes a while.  Not every woman wants a reconstruction and
for those who decide to live without one there is a support group, Flat Friends, which offers a closed group on its
Facebook page, online support and group meetings.

Flat Friends was founded by Gilly Cant after she researched
reconstruction options but found that none were right for her.  She
also searched for the specialised advice needed for living flat –
choosing comfortable clothes, in particular, is tricky. Gill is also
involved with Brighton University’s study SHORE-C, part
of which involves looking at what type of surgery is offered and
whether the pendulum has swung too far in favour of reconstruction.

As Sarah Cretch, who chose not to have a reconstruction, says in her blog on the Flat Friends site: “it is a
complex and difficult decision to make.” “This group has been
invaluable in helping me come to terms with my post-surgery body,” she
continues. “I am not anti-reconstruction but I am firmly pro-choice.”

The prosthesis problem

If reconstruction is not for you but neither is living flat, there
is the prosthesis problem.  Finding something comfortable but shapely,
whether it is a full prosthesis or just a chicken fillet, can prove
difficult – and that is just the start.  Following on comes the
question of a bra which is gentle on the post-operative,
post-radiotherapy sensitive area.

Prostheses are usually made from silicone or foam, but one which
caught my eye is the ‘Been-A-Boob’.  This was designed by a breast
cancer survivor who struggled to find the perfect prosthesis.  It is
made from lightweight beads inside a soft outer material which moulds
into a natural breast shape when placed in a bra.  The beads allow the
air to circulate and “keep the wearer cool and comfortable”. It is
sold by Nicola Jane – shops can be found in London and Chichester. 

Even more unusual are the prostheses made by a wonderful group of
ladies in Scotland.  These ‘Knitted
Knockers’ are made from pure cotton yarn with a special ‘aqua
knocker’, made from “soft acrylic yarn and stuffed with shower
scrunchies” for swimming.  Knitted Knockers UK Ltd is a charity and
the ‘knockers’ are made by authorised knitters and provided free of
charge.  They are all tried and tested and this year, so far, they
have fulfilled an amazing 1,669 requests.

Post surgery bras – ‘functional with a healthy splash of gorgeousness’

At one time post-surgery bras were ugly and uncomfortable but now
women look for something “functionally suitable combined with a
healthy splash of gorgeousness”.  So writes Nottingham-based Sue
Pringle, who has had breast cancer twice, about her Kickstarter-funded
lingerie line, Millie Lingerie, for post-operative women. Her
first design will be ready next month and will be called The Millie Bra.

Meanwhile, other shops where mastectomy bras can also be found
include MS, where the range has been designed with
the help of Breast Cancer Now; John Lewis and ASDA.

Advice on bra fitting can be found at The Breast Cancer
Havens, who offer 30 minute sessions. These are held in London on
the fourth Thursday of each month. Please check with Reception – 020
7384 0099 – and for their other Havens call 01432 361061 (Hereford)
and 0113 284 7829 (Leeds).  The Wessex Haven opens at the end of this
month and another in Worcester early next year. 

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Meet the man making a fortune off Sexy Donald Trump costumes

If you’re a parent and have gone shopping for a Halloween costume recently, you’ve probably seen the sexy police officer and been appalled. But if you done more clicking, you may be amazed at just how many sexy iterations there are —sexy Donald Trump and yes, even Sexy Pizza Rat, an homage to the meme that went viral earlier this year.

There’s a reason for that. Americans will spend $6.9 billion this year on Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation, and a chunk of that will be on these sexy costumes. Yandy.com, more than many, profits from Americans’ desire for sexy Halloween costumes. The private company says it expects to make $50 million this year, with 30% of that being earned in September and October, according to Money. CEO Chad Horstman told CNBC that he expects sales to reach $100 million within the next three years.

yandy.com

Chad Horstman is unapologetic about the 10-year-old company’s products. He says the company aims at “a certain type of girl with a lot of confidence who wants something unique and stands out from the crowd.” Halloween is about entertaining “and putting on a show by dressing up. If it’s not fun, it’s not a great costume.”

Horstman, whose previous businesses included sites selling cigars and pepper spray, launched Yandy.com with his brother as an e-commerce lingerie site. Soon, though, they saw the appeal of sexy Halloween costumes for women and decided to sell them. (They still sell lingerie, as well.) He claims they have been reaping in the cash, selling costumes not only for Halloween, but for concert festivals and themed parties. Hurstman’s background as a search engine marketer also has helped. Search “sexy” in front of any costume and Yandy.com will be one of the top results.

Yandy first introduced their exclusively branded costumes in 2010— Sexy Fox (Horstman’s favorite), Sexy Panda, and Sexy Polar Bear— costing some $150 each. The Phoenix-based 200-employee company also plans to expand into everyday lingerie. Perennial favorites like the sexy fox and SWAT costumes always sell well, but this year the top seller is #thedress. (You know, the one that became an Internet meme as people debated whether it was either white and gold or blue and black.)

Chad Horstmanyandy.com

Turns out Miami is the company’s top market this year, with the largest number of sexy Halloween costumes purchased this month. But, according to Estately, sexy costumes aren’t the most Googled. This year, Star Wars and Donald Trump costumes are top Google searches. In fact, the only “sexy” (if you can call it that) Halloween costume that is most searched is Slutty Pumpkin, from Katie Holmes’ guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother.

In terms of competitors selling sexy Halloween costumes, there are few, according to Horstman. What about Party City and Amazon, which lists over 89,000 results when searching “sexy costume”? “Getting your costume from Amazon sounds lame,” Horstman says.

 

The company has certainly had its share of critics. One blogger, for instance, wrote that sexy costumes reflect a sexist culture, one in which “women exist primarily to be ‘on display,’ and that anything else they do is secondary to that.”

For his part, Horstman said he’s just providing consumers with a choice. “We’re empowering women to have a choice and this is what they’re choosing….Sexy sells best….We’re catering to the demographic.” Also, he says some women dress sexy to go out at night, and they want to do the same on Halloween. He says his site also offers other theatrical costumes that aren’t sexy, such as the below.

yandy.com

He even said he believes that one of his costumes, Twizzlers, might have done better had it been a bit less revealing. “All girls love Twizzlers.”

yandy.com

He said he doesn’t feel the company has ever crossed the line into bad taste, however. He says he models the business after Victoria’s Secret and Fredericks’ of Hollywood. If an item would be too revealing for either of those retailers, then Yandy.com won’t carry it either.

“Our costumes are meant to be funny and ridiculous. People need to see that,” said Horstman.

Donna T. Rumpshakeryandy.com

Yandy.com succeeds by jumping on fleeting viral moments, like the aforementioned pizza rat, which went from conception to on sale in 5 days. Or #thedress.

Is it black and blue or gold and white?yandy.com

Horstman told CNBC, “The way we think about it is … if a girl walks into a party, are people going to know what she is?” he said. “And step two … if she enters a costume contest, does she have a chance at winning?”

If both of those are your Halloween goals, Yandy.com is ready to deliver (as long as you order before 5 pm EST on Friday).

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