When ceramic artist and cancer survivor Danielle Moore first agreed to participate in a very special lingerie shoot, she had no idea just how much it would help her own self-confidence.
“I was a shell of a person,” she recalls of that day three years ago, when she stepped onto the set of a breast cancer awareness campaign called Feel Your Breast, run by fashion brand Lounge.
Encouraging women to literally feel their breasts for any signs or symptoms that feel out of place, the campaign also celebrates women of all different races, ages and walks of life – stretch marks, scars and all – in a bid to help shift beauty ideals and show every woman that she is beautiful in her own way.
Created by Lounge in 2019, Feel Your Breast was also the springboard for the brand’s Lounge Foundation – a charity dedicated to supporting women’s and children’s health by funding life-saving projects, as well as creating a space for advocates like Danielle (aka Lounge Legends) to share their stories and raise awareness.
Since life-saving cancer treatments left her body changed, Danielle says she has been on a journey of self-acceptance – discovering what it means to look different and still be feminine. Saying yes to the shoot meant baring all in front of the camera and embracing her body exactly as it is – which proved a major step on the road to that self-acceptance.
“It was a big thing for me to show the raw effects of breast cancer,” she explains. “As someone who’s had a double mastectomy, I hoped sharing my scars might help someone else feel confident, and that in turn gave me confidence to keep being authentically me.”
Danielle’s story echoes that of fellow cancer survivor, Lounge model and advocate Miriam Fearon. Experiencing hair loss from chemotherapy and seeing her body change as a result of numerous surgeries and cancer treatments in her mid-twenties, Miriam says flipping the script on how she saw herself, and embracing the changes that made her so unique, brought fresh confidence.
“I went from being unable to recognise the girl in the mirror to seeing the beauty that comes from my resilience,” Miriam reflects. “Seeing other women like me [in the Lounge campaign] and how they shine so brightly made me realise how strong our bodies are – and that’s the beautiful, grounding thing.”
One of those other women is Leanne Pero MBE, who now works as a cancer awareness advocate looking specifically at the impact of the disease on women of colour, after her own cancer journey.
“I found it was when I took time to really look at my body and see my scars that I could start to embrace the new me and my new normal,” she notes.
Fellow Lounge model and cancer survivor Chloe Dixon agrees. “I think it’s important to recognise the importance of being seen, heard and empowered just as we are,” she says. “My treatments and recovery left me feeling disconnected from myself. But, over time, being part of a sisterhood that celebrates bodies in all their forms, I learned to see my body not as damaged, but as strong and resilient — a reminder of everything I’ve overcome.”
Each woman stands as a testament to the beauty of being different. And although they all have unique journeys, what they share – thanks, in part, to the Feel Your Breast campaign – is a confidence and peace in their bodies, and a passion to help other women find that same thing. Because, ultimately, the real beauty is in our uniqueness.
Find out more about the Lounge Foundation and discover the beauty of diversity
