TESTIMONY. Since her breast removal, Carole has struggled to find pretty and suitable underwear

In December 2020, Carole Craipeau, a resident of South Vendée, had to undergo a mastectomy, a removal of the breast. “I had to relearn how to live with my new silhouette,” she says. Like half of the women operated on, she did not want breast reconstruction, asking for several operations. “Cancer bit me, but I want to turn the page to resume my life as before. And getting back to life starts with being able to dress in the right underwear.

"I need, even more than before, pretty underwear"

The medical profession directs her to stores specializing in medical equipment. In the midst of orthopedic shoes, prostheses of all kinds and specialized equipment, she finds breast prostheses and a few bras, “adapted but so sad”.

“I accepted the disease, and finally what makes me suffer the most is the desert offered by the manufacturers of lingerie. Not only does it take time to mentally and physically recover from this new situation, but in addition, nothing is done to make you feel better in your body. »

Even on the internet, it is difficult to find dedicated merchant sites. “And when you find them, most of these bras are quite expensive. And what about the two-piece swimsuits that are hard to find. I need, even more than before, pretty and colorful underwear to feel better about my body. I would like to be able to buy my underwear in supermarkets, while shopping, as I did before. . »

“I have the impression that it remains taboo”

Carole discovers that she is not the only one to experience this but has "the impression that it remains a taboo subject". In the department stores, the sellers of lingerie or swimsuits admit that they have nothing to offer her, while customers ask them for it every day.

“I have the feeling that the major women's underwear brands are communicating and surfing on the Pink Wave,” says Carole. Instead, I suggest to them the idea of ​​releasing the new underwear collection every October for all women affected by this disease. In the end, we only need a veil lining in classic bras in order to be able to slide the prosthesis into it. I want my pink bra,” she says.

We can support and follow his action with the hashtag #jeveuxmonsoutifrose.