Still is an Aesthetic Flat Closure (AFC) advocacy project that creates awareness of AFC as a mastectomy reconstruction choice and promotes flat visibility and body positivity.
What’s that look like? It started with creating a collection of diverse stories and images of those who chose to go flat after mastectomy. And it is culminating in the creation of two publications and a poster show to create enduring AFC visibility.
Still Anthology
The Still Anthology is a 132-page book that powerfully illustrates the truth that women are more than breasts and that the potential to live whole, beautiful lives without boobs is more than possible—and can be profoundly beautiful.
This book features diverse, raw, real, and unfiltered stories of twelve flatties paired with profoundly beautiful, dynamic, and compelling photos.
Together, these stories and images deliver an uplifting and powerful message for those facing mastectomies and making reconstruction choices, healthcare providers, and the public.
Still Compendium
The Still Compendium is a resource for healthcare providers and patients making reconstruction decisions.
This is a 36-page booklet featuring the twelve flatties from the Still Anthology that provides beautiful examples of what aesthetic flat closure and life after going flat can look like.
The Still Compendium is clean and suitable for hospitals, medical practices, and all patients.
Still Poster Show
This traveling poster exhibit features twelve stunning international size posters of the Still flatties and a video companion piece that tells the story of how Still was created.
The posters feature striking images and powerfully communicate how they are Still, sans breasts. The poster show will be exhibited in galleries and museums to foster flat visibility and body positivity, and normalize flat.
Follow @projectstillme for updates on upcoming exhibitions.
Why Still?
I found out about Aesthetic Flat Closure from flatties who had the courage to share their experiences and what it looks like to be flat. Showing and telling our stories helps others. Still will take this to a new level.
—Lisa
Hi, I’m Lisa from @sothisisflat. I remember finding out I had a soaring risk of getting breast cancer. I remember choosing a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy to manage that risk. And I remember the discussions with doctors about how I would ‘put myself back together again’.
Was it going to be implants? Flap surgery? These were eagerly offered but I had looming concerns about each. Neither felt right for me. That’s when I found another option, on my own, called Aesthetic Flat Closure—going flat.
More and more women are choosing to go flat after mastectomy but it’s still not always offered, or done well. A common trope women are fed is that we cannot be ourselves, whole, feminine, happy—without breasts.
But the brave flat women who openly share their stories and photos on social media told me a different story—one of incredible beauty, confidence, strength.
Can you imagine seeing a book in your doctor’s office that shows beautiful, empowering flat women?
Can you imagine what it would feel like to see what flat might look like for someone your age, color, and body type?
Can you imagine what it would feel like to read their stories and identify with them because your story has similarities?
I imagine it would be profoundly hope-giving, inspiring, and empowering for those of us facing these decisions.
AFC needs to be talked about, offered, and seen as a viable, beautiful reconstruction option so that those making reconstruction decisions don’t have to work so hard to figure it out, like I did. Like many others have.
Going flat needs to be normalized, flat women need to be seen, and body positivity needs to be promoted.
Still will work to do just that.
Still is Hope
The love, care, and respect that was put into Still is beyond comprehension. We cheered, we screamed, we laughed, we danced, we cried. I have never felt more seen in my life. Lisa and her incredible team came together to make the incredible happen. This is changing the world for flatties. —Jaclyn
In the midst of making a plethora of choices regarding our very survival, every one of us made a choice—a choice that was questioned by the medical field, by society, by friends and family. Are you sure? As if it’s the most abnormal choice in the world. This project is the ripple the world needs —to normalize flat—to find and accept true beauty far beneath the surface. —Sheryl
This idea has turned into so much more. This is hope for the ones who were told different, the ones who don’t realize what we already have…We define us! We are #StillUs #StillHere and #StillStrong! –Starr