Negotiating femininity, motherhood and beauty: Experiences of Pakistani women breast cancer patients

ABSTRACT Breasts are a symbol of femininity, sexuality and maternity and therefore play a role in the way breast cancer is perceived by society. Goffman in 1963 sees stigma such as arising out of disease, by noting that people with socially undesirable characteristics have “spoiled identity” that leads to social discrimination and devaluation. This qualitative feminist ethnographic study explores understanding of breast cancer in a patriarchal setup and the stigma arising out of it. Here I use the six dimensions of stigma as a theoretical framework, as defined by Jones, Scott and Markus. After approval of an ethics committee, 37 research participants (22 patients who had undergone mastectomy and 15 caregivers) were included in the study sample. The data collected via in-depth interviews/focus group discussions was examined thematically. The emerging themes included concepts of shame, self-disclosure of serious illness, loss of breast/s, maternal symbol, beauty, femininity, adjusting to a “new identity,” alopecia and the overburdened caregiver. It is seen that breast cancer poses a threat to femininity as it leads to a distortion of beauty ideals and disrupts the domestic roles of women as housewives and mothers which stigmatizes them and they have to make multiple efforts to restore themselves physically and mentally.