Sexy After Mastectomy: Online Petition Asks Victoria’s Secret to Create Bras for Breast-Cancer Survivors

So far, the Change.org petition has over 95,000 signatures—and counting.

Allana Maiden with her mom, Debbie // Photograph via Change.org

Just two weeks ago, 27-year-old Allana Maiden started a Change.org petition asking lingerie retailer Victoria’s Secret to create a line of bras for breast-cancer survivors. The petition was created in honor of her mom, Debbie, who, after being diagnosed with breast cancer when Allana was six years old, underwent a mastectomy and has worn a prosthetic ever since. “I’m so inspired by her strength and hope,” Allana writes of her mother in the petition, “and after everything she went through, it doesn’t seem fair that shopping for bras is such a discouraging, time consuming and frustrating ordeal.”

When I received a press release about the petition yesterday, it had 16,000 signatures. As of this writing, after Allana’s story was picked up by the Huffington Post, New York Daily News and other outlets, the petition has over 95,000 signatures—and counting.

To help women overcome body-image issues post-surgery, Allana is asking Victoria’s Secret, a longtime Susan G. Komen supporter, to create a line of pretty and affordable mastectomy bras—the “and” there being the operative word. As ABC News notes, the bras that currently exist for women who undergo mastectomies are either unattractive and cheap or pretty but super expensive. And many are only available online.

“[My mom] should be able to go to a store in her local mall with everyone else and buy a beautiful bra like everyone else. She should not be forced to order bras that may not even fit right when they arrive,” Allana writes in the comments section. “Victoria’s Secret is supposed to make women feel beautiful and the women that deserve that feeling the most are excluded. Every woman knows someone that has been impacted by breast cancer, and women are passionate about this cause. What better way to give back to women than to help cancer survivors feel good about themselves?”

So far, Victoria’s Secret hasn’t publicly commented on the petition. But execs there are certainly being flooded with email—one gets set for every signature and comment on the petition.

If you’d like to add your name, go here.