Canberra women go topless in Marie Claire magazine to show a new beauty standard
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Marie Claire magazine is not the sort of publication that usually asks its models to take their tops off.
But when a collection of Canberra women took part in a photo shoot for the current edition, the decision to go topless was the whole point.
The “Flat by Choice” article, featured in this month’s March edition, considers a growing number of women who undergo mastectomy without reconstruction.
More than 20,000 Australians are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, with around four in ten choosing mastectomy of one or both breasts.
For women like Robyn Smith, the choice to have a double mastectomy was based on her discovery she carried the BRCA gene which puts her at a high risk of breast and other cancers.
Robyn, who helps runs the Inherited Cancer Australia non-profit support and advocacy group, organised for six local women to travel to Sydney and tell their stories to the magazine. It was important they be photographed, proudly, flat-chested after mastectomies.
Robyn Smith, photo by Lauren Trompp
“The decision of what to do after a mastectomy, to stay flat or to reconstruct your breasts, is deeply personal,” says Robyn.
“Both options are valid but staying flat is not often represented in mainstream media or it’s represented as the ‘choice you make if you have no other choice’ – which is not true. All of us who took part in the shoot are advocates for informed decision making, whatever choice you make. But on this occasion, we had the chance to show everyone that there are many, many women in Australia who are healthy and happy living flat, so we did it with gusto!”
Robyn originally had implants following her double mastectomy as she was told she was likely to have a better mental health outcome. Yet she experienced breast implant illness and had her implants removed 13 months after her surgery. Within two weeks her illness abated.
She is now focussed on broadening the discussion around mastectomy to include the option to stay flat.
“I hope that this article and these pictures show others who are flat or uniboob, they are not alone. I hope other flatties feel seen. I hope that surgeons see these pictures and are reminded to speak to all of their patients about the option of going flat, as well as reconstructing their breasts after a mastectomy.
“I hope that someone sitting in a hairdressing salon in a remote town who is struggling with their flatness, sees these pictures and feels a little bit better knowing there are others like them out there. You can’t be what you can’t see so hopefully we’ve helped people to see.”
It’s a desire shared by Aarthi Ayyar-Biddle who had a single mastectomy in 2024 following her breast cancer diagnosis.
Aarthi Ayyar-Biddle photographed by Lauren Trompp
She had a few thoughts prior to the shoot.
“What if people in my everyday life, for example my workplace and the broader community, see me with my gear off in a national magazine?” she asked herself.
“Those fears were pretty short lived however as I kept telling myself that it was for a really good purpose, and that I wouldn’t be doing it alone.”
Aarthi took part to help anyone faced with the decision of whether or not to have a reconstruction after mastectomy to be better informed about the choices they have.
“As someone from a culturally diverse background – and as the only ‘uniboober’ featured – I’m keen to help normalise asymmetrical bodies, whether that’s due to breast cancer or any other health-related or physical condition. For me, removing the cancer-affected breast and keeping my other breast has been the right choice as it has meant getting back to feeling like myself as quickly and smoothly as possible. And I’m not going to lie – since a young age I have been interested in fashion, makeup and photography, so the idea of appearing in such a well-known and respected publication was absolutely thrilling!
Gillian Horton meanwhile, is a familiar face to Canberra women experiencing breast cancer, having founded Colleen’s Lingerie to cater specifically for “Bosoms Great and Small, Uneven or None at All.”
Gillian Hort0n photographed by Lauren Trompp
“Being featured in Marie Claire reaches so many more women, not only those undergoing or facing surgery due to inherited risk. Sharing our stories and challenging the norms of how women ‘should’ look, accepting our bodies, living life ‘flat’ and to the full will perhaps give other women confidence to be comfortable in their own skin, accept how they look and live their lives for themselves, not anyone else’s expectations. Now that would be a great achievement.”
Gillian noted the article would have a long-lasting impact.
“So many women (one in seven) will be diagnosed with breast cancer and have to make a choice about their breasts.
“You don’t think it’s going to happen to you but maybe they’ll remember seeing beautiful flat women in marie claire a week, a month, a year later, understand more about their choices and advocate for themselves.
“I am so so grateful that Marie Claire has supported women’s choices and made us visible when we so often feel invisible as women,” says Gillian.
The full article is in the March edition of Marie Claire.
