Why Do I Want to Cast Oprah?

It’s a long story. I’ll start at the beginning. When I was pregnant, my girlfriend sent me a belly casting kit, filled with plaster bandages, so I could cast my once-in-a-lifetime shape, which I did. Prior to that, even though I am a doctor who uses plaster bandages and an artist who creates artwork, I had never thought to combine the two for artistic purposes. I guess my belly casting kit was lurking in my brain on a day that I had to tell a woman who was 37 weeks pregnant that she had breast cancer.

Most of you have probably never had to tell someone they have cancer. Trust me, it sucks. This woman was sobbing and her husband was angry and yelling, and when she cried about the fact that she needed a mastectomy, I found myself uttering platitudes like “It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” Blah blah. Meaningless words to her, I’m sure. But true nonetheless. The whole experience was so painful that it rooted around inside of me for a while, until the next time I had to tell a woman she had breast cancer. This time, we talked about it intimately, and she expressed sadness over losing her breasts. Thinking back to my belly cast, I offered to cast her body, so she could have a memory to honor what she would lose. When we were done, she told me her story, and I listened- in awe- to hear a story of such inner beauty.

After that, I began casting the torsos of many women with breast cancer and painting them with the medium I use, encaustic, which is molten pigmented beeswax. After I cast the women, I hold up their casts and say, “This is what the world sees of you. Tell me about the rest of you.” And they tell these AMAZING stories of strength and courage and pain and depth, rich with poignant details. Afterwards, I write their stories, reflecting back the beautiful woman I see inside. I call it The Woman Inside Project.







At first, I felt uncomfortable asking my patients to do this. To be cast, they had to come to my house, get naked on a lounge chair, and allow me to cover their bodies with warm, wet, lavender-scented bandages. Talk about stepping over doctor/patient boundaries. But what surprised me is that the women kept relaying to me how healing it was for them to be cast. And what surprised me even more was how healing it was for me, the wounded healer, who at the time was overworked, exhausted, recently divorced, and completely disillusioned by the state of our medical system.

It’s been almost four years since I began The Woman Inside Project, and I will be debuting the work at Commonweal, where Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen leads retreats for individuals with cancer, before it travels the country. For the Commonweal show, I am collaborating with breast cancer survivor/photographer Nancy Bellen, who I just cast for the show. When we were done with the casting session, Nancy said, “You need to cast my doctor,” referring to her surgeon. I assumed that her doctor had breast cancer, but Nancy said, “No, she just needs to be cast.”

It got me thinking. What is it about the casting process that is so healing? It strikes me that I unwittingly chose plaster bandages for this project, the same kind you use to cast a fractured bone. I am a doctor- not a sculptor- so it was the only material I knew how to use. But I wonder if there is something deeper that happens when you lay warm, plaster bandages on vulnerable bare skin. We all have our wounds. With breast cancer survivors, some of the wounds are right there on the skin, fully exposed. For many of us, our wounds are deep and invisible, but they are there just the same. Are these bandages helping to cast our fractures, to mend our souls? Or is it the simple act of being touched, or the healing practice of story-telling?

Since I first started doing the castings, I have started this website, Owning Pink: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Health, Your Femininity, and Your Mojo. Owning Pink began as an art series, then it evolved into a series of women’s workshops- Owning Creativity, Owning Sexuality, Owning Joy After Loss, Owning Menopause, Owning Motherhood, Owning Fertility- all the things that make us female. Now, it is all of those things, and the casting sessions fit right in. It is SO Owning Pink, what we do during these casting sessions. The women are Owning it- big time. Owning their pain, their loss, their fear, but also their joy, their transformation, their vulnerability and how it has empowered them. They’re also Owning their bodies, with all the flaws and idiosyncrasies that make us beautiful. They’re going deep in their story-telling to unearth hidden wounds, and in the process of digging, they find freedom. All I do, during this process, is hold the space for these women. I listen and love and invite them to be whole, while I hold the metaphorical mirror, so they can see the woman inside, the gorgeous inner beauty we all have.

What Nancy said about casting her doctor made me realize that you don’t have to be a breast cancer survivor to benefit from this process. We all have our wounds, some part within us that needs mending, whether it is breast cancer, divorce, loss of a loved one, infertility, career disillusionment, or a crisis of faith. But how can I help cast women more globally, to share that same sense of strength and empowerment? I was brainstorming, when the idea popped into my head like a lightbulb.

I need to cast Oprah.

Think about it. In my opinion, Oprah is the Pinkest of Pink Goddesses. Just look at her! She’s Owning Pink all over the place! What if I could get Oprah on board, so she could spread the Pink Power and invite women to own creativity, health, sexuality, surrender, peace, spirituality, and empowerment? Oprah cares about everything Owning Pink represents- personal empowerment, women’s issues, education, health and sexuality, spirituality, and mojo recovery. Plus, not to be disrespectful, but I think Oprah could benefit from Owning her body just a wee bit more.

I can see it now- layering warm plaster bandages over Oprah and inviting her to mend the wounds within? What if this helps millions of women Own Pink? I could paint her cast with encaustic, and we could auction it off on Ebay and give the proceeds to the charity of her choice. Imagine the flurry of Pink awareness! I can see it now...

So here’s my plea, Pinkies! Help me help women by clicking here to signal your support for the Casting Oprah Campaign. Please sign the petition and tell your friends.

Thank you thank you thank you!

Namaste and a bow to your Pink beauty,
Lissa