Elliot Page undergoes “lifesaving” “top surgery”

[OnWednesdaysWeWearMink]

BBC R1 news beat has just reported that Elliot page has undergone “life saving” “top surgery”.

Here is the related web article: www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-57239448

This reporting perpetuates the narrative that people will commit suicide if they don’t get the right sort of treatment. I find it deeply irresponsible. Does anyone know if Samaritans are tackling this sort of coverage in their media guidelines? I’d hope work is going on behind the scenes as they are a fantastic charity. (I assume they are not captured?)

A double mastectomy is usually lifesaving when it comes to breast cancer... so I find calling an elective cosmetic procedure lifesaving pretty insulting. But that’s just me being petty and not the main point.

@Erikrie

The surgeon posted a selfie of her sad face with the text ''Just realized I only get to yeet 4 teets next week''.

Wtf. I haven't seen this before. Evil woman 😡

Sidhbh Gallagher. My least favourite fellow Irish person . And there is some competition.

Must have missed that leafstamp Would really like to see a screenshot.

OP, headlining the quoted words of the subject an article is such standard practice. I wonder why you have such a problem with it here.

I had a single mastecomy due to breast cancer and wasn't suitable for immediate reconstruction so I asked for them to do a double mastecomy. Got told no as they won't remove healthy tissue.

My mother had the same issue. Ended up having to go private. As one of her breasts was healthy, although she was told there was an extremely high chance the cancer would be back in the other one quite soon. They point blank refused to take it at the same time, as it was healthy 'then' even though the chance it wouldn't be soon was high. They were willing to reconstruct the one they took off though

@Maggiesfarm

I'm not familiar with Elliott Page but it appears he's Canadian so he wouldn't have been having the breast surgery on our NHS. He robably went privI think this is done more than we realise. Men can have breast cancer, Richard Rowntree did and had the male version of double mastectomy - and recovered!

Ellliott looks very young, younger than 34, and rather feminine. His scars are neat and healing nicely and he is obviously more confident without man boobs.

What is the problem here? We can't measure somebody else's unhappiness by our own experiences, each is unique. His op hasn't cost us anything, good luck to him.

I'm sorry but "man boobs" is disgustingly offensive to trans men who are comfortable in their bodies and don't want surgery.

One day I hope society will be inclusive enough to accept that men can have breasts and look "feminine" and that this doesn't make them any less male. Shame that we're not there yet and Hollywood celebs endorse traditional notions of femininity for women and masculinity for men.

@Nellle

Must have missed that leafstamp Would really like to see a screenshot.

OP, headlining the quoted words of the subject an article is such standard practice. I wonder why you have such a problem with it here.

Because describing a surgery a lifesaving implies those who do not have it may take their own lives.

It’s the same reason why I think a headline saying “A woman has died after throwing herself off Beachy Head” is irresponsible. It’s factual... but it also signposts a great suicide spot for anyone else thinking of doing it and implies it’ll probably be successful.

Obviously one article is implying suicidal ideation and the other is taking about suicide methods - so they’re not the same, but both scenarios are covered in Samaritans media guidelines.

We're concerned about safeguarding vulnerable people, especially children. Loads and loads and loads of women go through difficulties with their breasts. Others, like me, question their gender. Most of us grow up and don't need surgery. Some do. But I don't want a single girl or woman to go through an unnecessary and life changing medical procedure because they've been encouraged to believe that they'll die without it.

I wonder why you have such a problem with it here.

Again for those hard of thinking: because it goes against guidelines of reporting suicide and suicidal ideation. The thread explains this several times.

If a killer said his wife "deserved to die" would you be happy seeing reports saying "woman killed because she "deserved to die""? The fact it's a quote doesn't change the intention behind the claim.

@CardinalLolzy

I wonder why you have such a problem with it here.

Again for those hard of thinking: because it goes against guidelines of reporting suicide and suicidal ideation. The thread explains this several times.

If a killer said his wife "deserved to die" would you be happy seeing reports saying "woman killed because she "deserved to die""? The fact it's a quote doesn't change the intention behind the claim.

Great example, thank you!

OnWednesdays I understand exactly what you're saying, but quoting EP for a headline here is just as legitimate as quoting Meghan Markle's "I didn't want to be alive anymore". Indeed, the more controversial a quote, the more headline-worthy.

Yet here's all this fretting about EP's opinion on his own body and life.

But this place is all for free speech right?

@ThePawtriarchy Ah but it's OK for me to live with one breast despite the mental and physical effects as I am a woman. So woman's anguish=get on with it/deal with it
Trans anguish= must be catered to

Because it affects their mental health. Everyone saying that only a mastectomy for cancer could be considered 'life-saving'; funny how all of a sudden mental health can't be compared to physical health in terms of impact on the person, but it was when 'distress' was stopping people from wearing face masks

Which is it?

It seems from the article that he himself is describing it as life-saving, not the author. So it's not an opinion about "top surgeries" in general , it's what was right for that individual.

What if it actually was lifesaving for Elliot?

@Thehawki

What if it actually was lifesaving for Elliot?

It still goes against reporting guidelines for suicide.

@Nellle

OnWednesdays I understand exactly what you're saying, but quoting EP for a headline here is just as legitimate as quoting Meghan Markle's "I didn't want to be alive anymore". Indeed, the more controversial a quote, the more headline-worthy.

Yet here's all this fretting about EP's opinion on his own body and life.

But this place is all for free speech right?

I am absolutely supportive of free speech. People can say whatever they like, as long as it’s not an incitement to violence.

I have the utmost respect for journalists at mainstream news organisations. They are highly trained professionals. Their training includes responsible reporting of suicide. They should follow it.

There is a tension between reporting what people say / reporting the facts in a certain way and reporting responsibly.

Consider the example given before of a headline saying a woman was killed “because she deserved it”. A factual quote, but not responsible.

I thought having to say RTFT was only necessary on AIBU.

If you are going to engage, RTFT.

@Doyoumind

I thought having to say RTFT was only necessary on AIBU.

If you are going to engage, RTFT.

Well said!

So it's not a social contagion, yet apparently we have here a bunch of people on this thread who are convinced that an operation to remove health body parts can be "life-saving".

When did you start believing this, and why? It's because you heard other people say it. And now you're saying it.

For you it's not so bad - you're only believing it about other people. Unfortunately some vulnerable people will hear it and believe it about themselves.

We're truly in the upsidedown when a psychotherapist grins at the idea of a woman wanting to amputate healthy breast tissue and thinks that suicidal ideation related to said healthy body parts is perfectly normal.

@Clymene

We're truly in the upsidedown when a psychotherapist grins at the idea of a woman wanting to amputate healthy breast tissue and thinks that suicidal ideation related to said healthy body parts is perfectly normal.

Yes, it's grim. And apparently without any real evidence for suggesting that surgery is in any way effective at alleviating anything, let alone suicidal tendencies.

Repeating the extract from a study I posted earlier, as Weaving seems to have not noticed it:

''An important finding was that the incidence for observed suicide deaths was almost equally distributed over the different stages of treatment. Although the distribution showed that one‐third of the suicides occurred in people who were no longer in active treatment in our center, the other two‐third of the people who died by suicide still visited our center in the previous two years. About half of these last two‐third people were still in active diagnostic or medical treatment, while the other half completed their transition and only came for a medical check‐up. This indicates that vulnerability for suicide occurs similarly in the different stages of transition.''

@OnWednesdaysWeWearMink It is a direct quote though, is that against the guidelines? Does the BBC have to adhere to these or are they just advisory? I’ve never actually heard of them so I don’t know.

Somewhat off topic but why is it ok for EP to have their flat cheats and nips Posted proudly across all social media but I had photos of breastfeeding my child removed for indecency? Had I claimed to be a trans man would my F cups been allowed to be visible, nips and all?

Why is this thread posted in the Feminism board?

Why is this thread posted in the Feminism board

Why shouldn't it be.

@Koolandorthegang

Why is this thread posted in the Feminism board?

Because internalised misogyny and trauma recovery are feminist issues.