Exposure: October's Feminist Film Circle Screening

Last night my emerging identity as an activist was refreshed and reenergized as a dozen of us sat and watched “Exposure: Environmental Links to Breast Cancer” at our monthly feminist film circle. Two and a half years ago, shortly after my daughter’s birth, our (Kim and my) mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. In my sleep-deprived state of new motherhood I was sorting out complex issues of motherhood: immense lifestyle upheaval, the challenges of feeling like a walking breast, renegotiating my sexuality, my relationship to my husband, friends and family and of course learning how to function on four hours of sleep on a regular basis. I was falling deeply in love with my child and thus life was a haze in the way it always is when we are merging and emerging from complete symbiosis with another human being. There was little room in my brain or my heart for finding meaning to what my mother was facing.

When I first viewed part of this film at last year’s Women’s Health Matters Forum, tears began to stream down my face as I sat unaccompanied in an auditorium filled with over a hundred women. I knew it was time to give space to my grief and fear, but above all I knew it was time to embrace environmental activism. If becoming a mother and watching my mother experience breast cancer had taught me anything, it was that we have a duty to act.

A year later, after my sister and I have made every effort to “go green” in our store – carrying only phthalate-free sex toys, paraben and phthalate-free lubricants, and eco-friendly menstrual alternatives, this film served as encouragement and validation of our path. For every tampon user we convert to a diva cup user, for every woman we support to come off hormonal contraceptives, we take one step closer to a healthier life and a healthier planet. I have never experienced as much satisfaction and conviction that the work I do makes a difference, as I have since opening this business with my sister.

Exposure is a striking film in many regards. The film is nearly ten years old but rings true to our experience today. One of the most disturbing things about this film is recognizing how much was already known ten years ago when the film was produced and is only now being acted upon. For example, Bisphenol-A, a chemical used in the production of plastics including baby bottles and water bottles, was known to be an endocrine disruptor over a decade ago. Government banning of this substance in Canada has only occurred in the past year. Pesticides, x-rays, chlorine, pharmaceuticals, and radiation are some of the other carcinogenic materials that have been linked to increased breast cancer rates among women, in addition to these plastics. There is still much work to be done to reduce the toxicity of our environment and our bodies.

Fran and Mahalia, two volunteers from WHEN - the Women’s Healthy Environments Network, facilitated a discussion and provided practical advice for change following the screening. They helped us to process our shock and sadness (this film still brought me to tears the second time around) and to channel that energy into simple solutions to reduce our risk. Some easy tips included:

1. Don’t microwave your food in plastic
2. Use Pyrex or stainless steel food and beverage containers whenever possible
3. Exercise regularly
4. Sweat out toxins in your body using saunas, particularly infrared saunas
5. Wear proper-fitting bras and/or wear bras less often as this will promote better lymphatic flow
6. Choose organic foods whenever possible, and avoid animal meats that have been fed growth hormones
7. Avoid unnecessary x-rays
8. Examine your breasts regularly

WHEN provides a resource guide for the film which is absolutely packed with information; I couldn’t begin to do it justice. However, Fran and Mahalia made special mention of a few good books, including The Secret History of the War on Cancer, by Devra Davis, Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book, and The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Breast Cancer. At Red Tent Sisters we are also a fan of Susan Weed’s book Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way.
I would like to thank our brave and ever-compassionate mother, Margaret Weller, for the gift of environmental activism that she has given us through her experience of breast cancer. I would like to also thank Fran and Mahalia for giving their time on a Friday night to help educate us on this topic. Lastly, I would like to thank all the women who attended last night’s event and donated generously to WHEN. Your presence means more to me than you can possibly know.
The quote on my office wall never seemed more poignant than last night...“Not only is another world possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day I can hear her breathing.”- Arundhati Roy