ANGELINA JOLIE'S admission that she had a double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer will comfort other women undergoing the treatment and help free them from the tyranny of "beauty in a 36DD cup", commentators say. Angelina Jolie: '87% chance' of cancer led to double mastectomy, Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Christina Odone hails Jolie's decision to write about her surgical procedure as "awesome". Other women will feel "shocked and awed" to learn the 37-year-old star has had her breasts removed, she says. But they should also feel "freed" from the outdated notion that a woman without breasts is less of a woman. "Here is the most coveted woman on earth (gorgeous, bright, do-gooding and partnered by Brad Pitt to boot) saying she's removed her breasts to improve her chances of survival," writes Odone. "Breasts shrink (literally) to insignificance when health is at stake. Cleavage is one thing; life, the thing." Jolie's frank admission that she had a double mastectomy after she discovered she had a "faulty" gene, BRCA1, which sharply increased her risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer, was widely applauded by women who have undergone the procedure. Former Liberty X singer Michelle Heaton, told ITV's Daybreak programme that Jolie's admission would have a "huge impact" and help many women who are going through the same treatment. Meanwhile, Wendy Watson, who was the first woman in the UK to have a preventative mastectomy 21 years ago, told Radio 4's Today programme that Jolie's revelation would shine valuable light on the issue. "I really applaud her for doing this, it's raising the profile in a way that nobody like myself or anybody else could do," Watson said. "People will probably not be so scared, pick up the phone and be screened." For Alice Arnold, also writing in the Daily Telegraph, the key message to be garnered from Jolie's admission is that the actress won't be any less of a woman without her breasts. "This is where I get angry," writes Arnold. "The pathetic anachronism of ‘Page 3' perpetuates the fallacy that a woman is only a woman if she has two enormous breasts, thrust forward with nipples erect. It is childish, offensive and more importantly, dangerous." Women's health is more important than male notions of "femininity", writes Arnold. Women need to "reclaim our breasts for ourselves". Source: The Week UK
