ADVERTISING

Description

Throughout history, art has dictated beauty standards for women, mostly through the eyes of male artists. This standard, though antiquated, still exists in culture and even permeates into medical care.

According to studies, women’s breasts are among the most consequential symbols of femaleness in the US. So, it is not surprising that 50% of the 100,000 American women who undergo a mastectomy every year choose to reconstruct their breasts—even though this might not be a healthier choice for all.

Most women are not given the option of going flat, or Aesthetic Flat Closure (AFC), as an alternative by their plastic surgeons, and many who would prefer to stay flat are dismissed by their plastic surgeons and pressured into reconstruction.

There are many stories of women who selected AFC and woke up from anesthesia only to find the surgeon had left excessive skin in place for when they change their mind, saying, “you’ll thank me later.”

Life Models is a live figure drawing class that redefined the beauty standards for women with breast cancer.

We took over a regularly scheduled figure drawing class, where typically conventional nude models pose for student artists.

Unbeknownst to the students, we brought in an unconventional model—a woman who chose to go flat after mastectomy. This experience surprised artists and challenged them to defy beauty standards—the same standards that coerce women with breast cancer to undergo reconstructive surgery without being offered AFC as an alternative.

We displayed 30 original artworks from the class at an art exhibition in NYC and invited members of the flat community, women with breast cancer, surgeons, and the general public.

The class and exhibit both were captured in a short film, which has become a powerful educational tool, moving AFC outside of the medical setting and bringing it into our culture through art.

This professional campaign titled 'Life Models' was published in United States in January, 2025. It was created for the brand: Aesthetic Flat Closure Awareness, by ad agency: Area 23. This Integrated medium campaign is related to the Health industry and contains 6 media assets. It was submitted about 1 month ago.

Credits

Brand: Aesthetic Flat Closure Awareness
Title: "Life Models"

Client President and Founder: Kim Bowles

Agency: Area 23, an IPG Health Company, New York
Global Chief Creative Officer: Tim Hawkey
Executive Creative Directors: Jason Graff / David Adler
Group Creative Directors: Matt Cohen / David Alvarez
Creative Directors: Diego Torgo / Widerson Souza da Silv / Thiago Fernandes
Associate Creative Directors: Renan Bulgari / Victor Afonso
Agency Group Copy Supervisor: Molly Jennings
Agency Group Art Supervisor: Shadya Lopez
Agency Executive Producer: Lisa Petroni
Agency Senior Producer: Monika Magda
Agency SVP, Group Director Producer: Chinkara Singh
Agency SVP, Group Director Production: Renee Jun
Agency Management Director: Karina Kizner

Production Company: Famous Who?, São Paulo
Production Company CEO, Founder, Creative Director: Henrique Tanji
Director: Jean Paulo Lasmar
Executive Producer: Fred Farah
Producer: Renata Dy Sousa
Director of Photography: Auden Bui
Post-Production Company Motion Coordinator: Edgar Magoo Martilino
Post-Production Company Motion Artist: Gabriel Donati
Production Companies Editors: Rodolfo Belon / Rayane Caldas
Production Designer: Kelsey Hannah Walsh
Post-Production Company: Biruta Filmes, São Paulo
Executive Post-Producer: Fernanda Carpinelli
Post-Producer: Ivan Lemos

Post-Production Company Colorist: Ricardo Herling

Music Production Company: Ritmika Audio Arts, São Paulo

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