Dethroned by Angelina

Sigh.

Poor Jennifer Anniston.  Constantly upstaged by Angelina Jolie.  Jen gets caught topless, Angie gets caught in a burhka.  Jen gets high-lights, Ang gets a family.  Jen shamelessly promotes overpriced mineral water, Angelina promotes world peace.

Well last week Angelina stole my thunder. When her decision to have a double mastectomy was splashed all over every newspapers around the world, I got royally kicked off my thrown.

I don’t know if journalists were impressed by the surgery itself, or by the fact that Angelina managed to go through it so privately. Either way, they referred to her as ‘brave’, and as a ‘hero’.

Get of off my throne!

She certainly is brave. I know first hand that the decision to do something so drastic to your body is intensely difficult. It took me months to come to the conclusion that it was the right thing, and sometimes I’m only 85% sure. Not only is it a distortion of your old self,  but the recovery period is daunting.

So, brave? Absolutely. But heroic? No it’s not. There’s nothing heroic about it. She made a logical decision and bravely took a big step to drastically reduce her risk of cancer. It takes a lot of strength to do what she did, and she did it, most likely, with the support of a great medical team, as well as a team to take care of her family.

There’s another woman I kno, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. She’s raising three kids on her own and works full time. She had her surgery, and went through chemotherapy. While she was going through chemo she got her black belt in karate. And when chemo was completed, she endured a ten-hour surgery to have a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. And then she had a three-month recovery relying on friends, and her own resilience. And she did it because there was no option.  Nobody called her a hero.

Jen probably rolls her eyes when Angie is pictured holding her six kids as she walks down the beach. Sure it's tough to be a mother, but behind the camera are a team of nannies, chauffeurs, bodyguards, and a big bag of money.

I rolled my eyes when Angelina is touted as a role model.  I believe she is raising awareness for the BRCA mutation, and is an inspiration for many famlies. And she is strong and brave.

But a hero? Nuh-uh. Jen and I are climbing back on our thrones, and we toss our hair in indignation.