I had been looking forward to the Breast Casting Workshop since the day I found out about it. I was visiting the Women’s Center and Shannon Johnson, the director of the center, told me that this year instead of The Vagina Monologues, the Women’s Center was doing a Breast Casting Workshop for women’s empowerment.
Ever since that day in February, I have been waiting for the workshop. I told a few of my female friends and asked them to join me. When it was all said and done, my roommate Jessie went along with me.
The workshop was to raise breast health awareness and empower women. I think it did both. I found out things about my torso that I never knew. I also overcame obstacles I didn’t even know were there.
When I walked in the room to have the cast done, there were about three topless women walking around. I must admit, I was taken aback. I hadn’t prepared myself for that, even though I’m very comfortable with my body and think showing one’s breasts isn’t as taboo as society makes it out to be.
I was then instructed to take my shirt off, like these other women, and put vaseline all over my torso. I don’t know what I was expecting — little cubicles where no one would see me — but taking off my shirt in a room full of about 10 women was not what I was thinking I would be doing. However, I did it, and after a couple minutes, I was more comfortable with myself.
I went to the station to have the cast done, and to overcome another obstacle that stared me in the face. The woman who did my cast was someone who had been in a class with me last semester. I tried my hardest not to show I was uncomfortable — I would have preferred a complete stranger over someone that was an acquaintance. During the casting, I didn’t know where to put my eyes, what to talk about — if anything — how to stand or how to breathe as the cast began to dry.
It was an overall uncomfortable experience for me — not what I was expecting at all. However, I did enjoy it, and I’m extremely glad I decided to do it. The workshop put me in situations where I would need to overcome personal obstacles I didn’t know were there. I did overcome them, and I think if I were put in a situation like that again, I would perform better and feel more comfortable, overall.
Like my imperfections during the casting, I also discovered some physical imperfections. When I looked at my completed cast, I saw things I didn’t know about my torso. One breast is slightly larger than the other, and I have an indention I had never noticed before. I like my imperfections and am glad my cast has pointed them out to me. It reminds me that I’m human, which doesn’t translate to perfect.
I already had “empowerment” per say — I love my body, even the less attractive parts. But the breast casting let me see my body in a way I’ve never been able to. I’m excited I get to look at my body, and even keep this form of myself for the future when my body has changed. I will be able to look at my breast cast and know what I looked like when I was in college.
The casts are still drying, but my roommate and I have already decided we’re going to display them in our living room. If nothing else, they will be great conversation starters. We’re still brainstorming how we’re going to decorate them. I’m thinking of making my cast into a collage of empowerment words to represent my beliefs and the obstacles I overcame during this process.
Tell Kathryn how she should decorate her breast cast at features@technicianonline.com