Breast Cancer Survivors
And, I'm fine, thank you.
Gwen Florea, the voice of the original talking Barbie®, was my boss and is my co-author. Gwen got silicone breast implants to enhance her figure during the go-go 60's. She was gorgeous to begin with, I never really understood why she did it until we sat down to write the book.
After witnessing what Gwen endured following implant surgery, I wouldn't let a surgeon near my chest. Ironically, I was diagnosed with breast cancer January 1, 1996. And, yes, I suppose you could say I'm the Barbie® who had the double mastectomies; although I hope my life amounts to more than that.
Although early detection and prompt action saved my life, I, like so many survivors, lost my job to Breast Cancer. My employer was self-insured, and my position was abolished in "budget cuts" within a month of my return to work. This happens quite frequently to breast cancer survivors. I guess some bosses think we're damaged goods. They, obviously, have not seen what my plastic surgeon did to restore order when the surgeon got through.
BARBIE® TALKS!, tells the story of how my boss, Gwen Florea and I dealt with coming of age in a society fixated on women's breasts, and how we survived the physical perils of being female in the Twentieth century.
Maybe it takes coming of age in Hollywood in the '60's in the shadow of Barbie®, Lana Turner, Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe and the rest of the "Sweater Girls", to grasp the full dimension of America's ongoing fixation with breasts. Maybe not. But if you are interested in how two real women, whose lives were irrevocably changed by their intimate relation with one of the most important icons of the Twentieth Century, survived career-ending illnesses related to their breasts, reclaimed their lives and achieved their fondest career dreams, you should read this book.
If you have friends who are facing Breast Cancer in terror and humiliation, you might want to give them this book. It is full of perspective, humor and, yes, pain. Life is like that. We hope our stories will give them strength and hope.
If you have a daughter or niece who is headed off to make her mark in the big city, you should consider giving her BARBIE® TALKS! to read first. I was only 19 when I went to Hollywood. Gwen was raised there. We learned a lot of lessons as babes in Barbie® land.
Barbie® Talks! is not licensed by Mattel, Inc. We have no connection with them at this time and they probably aren't too crazy about our book. They own the Barbie® trademark, but they do not own the rights to our autobiography. We sought earnestly to work with them for over two years. Then we published our story.
I'm getting ready to work on a second book, BREASTWORKS, about women who have had to re-invent themselves in the aftermath of surviving breast cancer only to be fired or laid off. I'd like to hear your stories. I don't want to spoil the book for you, but I did grow up and become a lawyer. After what happened to my job after breast cancer, I went back East for a couple of years and practiced Civil Rights law, including the law of workplace discrimination. I'm collecting survivor stories, especially those which have gone to litigation, because I want to put names and faces on the anonymous statistics that tell us that women returning to the workplace after surviving breast cancer are five times more likely to be laid off or fired. It's a secret scandal that needs to be explored. And I hope all survivors will draw strength and inspiration from the women whose stories we will tell.
Meanwhile, buy BARBIE® TALKS! It's a great read. Everybody loves it!
Wishing you good health and happiness,
Glenda Phinney
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