All bodies experience change, but it’s harder to witness when beyond your control.
Danielle Moore, 34, has bravely faced her body’s changes following an elective double mastectomy – a decision that led to cruel trolling and comments that she “looked like a boy”.
Despite the negativity, Danielle embraced her new self and, last year, she made a bold statement about female empowerment by posing topless for Page 3.
She became part of a campaign called “One More Page 3”, orchestrated by the sex positive adult film icon, Erika Lust, which aimed to be “the most inspirational and empowering Page 3 shoot of all time”.
The Bristol mum is passionate about promoting body positivity, and sparking more open discussions about bodies that deviate from the norm.
With more than 20,000 followers on her Instagram account, The Boob Battle, Danielle shares her personal narrative, offers insights and demonstrates her pride in her body, despite acknowledging the challenges she’s faced.
When discussing her involvement in Erika Lust’s campaign, Danielle expressed: “It was a great campaign for helping raise awareness of breast cancer, but also in showing body diversity, which is such an important message. It really gave me a new level of confidence.”
Since participating in the campaign, Danielle has focused on healing from the psychological impact of cancer. She has engaged in therapy and dedicated time to improving her mental health over the past year, ensuring she also spends quality moments with her loved ones to create cherished memories.
She acknowledges that embracing her body post-cancer is a challenging and continuous journey. Adapting to significant changes that were never sought after is tough, but she finds each day brings a bit more ease into the process.
Danielle utilises her social media presence not only for her own healing, but also to inspire others to understand that life’s value extends beyond physical appearance, and it’s completely fine to stand out.
“I’ve accepted that it is what it is and I can’t change it, which helps with the process,” she continued. “My scars are a big part of me, and something you don’t often see on social media, as it’s usually a platform for showing just the ‘perfectly good bits of people’.
“I hope by showing it takes away the fear of cancer and also helps people not get sucked into the trap of feeling like you need to be perfect to be worthy.”
Danielle has opened up about the “mixed bag” of reactions she encounters online, acknowledging that while she does receive some negative comments from “closed minded people”, the majority of feedback is supportive.
She’s grateful for those who appreciate her openness about body diversity, and the reality that not everyone looks “perfect” all the time. With October marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Danielle is using her platform to urge women to be proactive in checking themselves regularly.
Diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at 30, which had also spread to her lymph nodes, Danielle first discovered a lump while breastfeeding her son in November 2020, but initially didn’t think it was serious.
Danielle emphasised the importance of keeping an eye on your health. She added: “Check yourself regularly, to know your normal, so that if anything does change you can get to the GP. You aren’t checking for cancer, you are simply being in check with your own body to know what’s normal for you.
“There are lots of obvious signs and symptoms such as a lump, nipple discharge, dimpling of the skin. However, there may also be some not so obvious changes.
“That’s why it’s important to feel yourself regularly, so that you are familiar with how your body looks and feels.”