Over the weekend, I heard from a New York Times picture editor, Soo-Jeong Kang, who was involved in the publication of a photograph that generated a great deal of discussion when it appeared on The Times's front page (PDF) last Wednesday. Ms. Kang assigned the photo shoot that resulted in that much-discussed image of an Israeli woman's upper torso, including incision scars, a portion of her areola and her Star of David tattoo. It did not show her face.
I wrote about it on this blog that day, after hearing from readers who were upset by it, and who found it offensive or insensitive. It also generated a great deal of discussion within The Times's newsroom, with varied points of view.
The post brought plenty of response, with most of the reader comments defending the photo choice.
Ms. Kang offered me this statement from the unnamed 28-year-old woman in the photograph, written after she became aware of media and reader reaction. I thought it was interesting enough to share:
When I first saw the photo I did not find it either provocative or inappropriate. I thought it was powerful and told my story â€" I am a proud, young Jewish woman who had breast cancer, and I have a scar that proves it.
I am not ashamed or embarrassed by the scar. Most of my breast was not exposed and the small part that was does not make the picture “cheap.†I think it's very artistic.I didn't expect such controversy around the photo â€" but I'm glad the photo caused an impact since I believe that there should be more awareness about breast cancer, genetic testing, the conflict of “what to do†with a positive result, etc.
I agreed to publish the photo since I wanted to raise awareness, but I decided to leave my identity unknown because I didn't want to become famous because I had cancer. The cancer I fought this past year is a part of me, but it's not who I am. It's not me. In addition, this photo was taken spontaneously and I didn't consult my close family beforehand, so I preferred to stay unknown.
In response to some readers' comment on the tattoo I have on my body, I come from a family of Holocaust survivors. When I was 17, I went with my high school on a trip to the concentration camps in Poland. It was a very emotional and difficult trip, and when I returned to Israel I was so proud that I am Jewish and Israeli that I wanted the whole world to know. I will never have to hide my religion or where I come from. That's when I made the tattoo of the Star of David. It was 10 years before my diagnosis of breast cancer.
