A breast cast is made when a woman allows fresh plaster to be spread across her chest, and when it hardens over a period of time, it creates a perfect mold of her feminine features.
It's pure art where mother nature is the true star.
This process has been used by women with breast cancer for either their personal memories or public displays. The end result is a sculpted creation of their breasts that exists for as long as the cast remains.
Zara Ebadi was inspired by those powerful stories; she was being told about this by a fellow teacher during the making of a private portrait. Instead of dressing up, Zara wore the same buttoned top and jean pants she usually wore to work. A teacher's outfit if there ever was one.
She remained motionless while they talked. Her dark hair was carefully splayed over her shoulder, her mocha skin was shining from the light outside through the window, and her face pointed towards the wall.
They were in the art classroom and school had already been closed for a week for the start of the holiday season. Most teachers left, some hung around to finish grading along with other miscellaneous duties. Zara opted to hang around. She was a newly hired English teacher and she still wanted to make a great impression with the Principal and her colleagues. She also enjoyed the comradery with Ms. Taylor, the highly respected art instructor.
"It's really that simple," Ms. Taylor said, dressed in a painting coat while making the portrait of Zara. "I'm thinking of starting my own charity program for it. A gift-giving thing, free of charge."
"That's so endearing," Zara replied in awe, still facing the wall. "It's heartwarming."
"I know, it is. Hang on, I'm almost done. Just putting the final touches."
The sound of a paintbrush hitting the canvas echoed in the room. It was the only sound there. Zara loved these quiet moments when something was being created, and frankly, it was always flattering to see a finished portrait of herself.
"I can almost hear your brain thinking," Zara joked, while maintaining the proper pose.
"Oh yeah? Why is that?"
"You're so talented with this."
"And you're so beautiful," Ms. Taylor countered. "There, all done. Have a look."
Finally breaking the pose, Zara got up and they stood side by side, looking at the briefly made portrait. As far as 20 minutes goes, this was some of the best work a person could do.
Zara nodded her approval. "Nice one. You're a gem."
"An artist is only as good as the person being painted, in my opinion. As far as models go, you're terrific. There's a reason I love painting you."
"You're too sweet."
"Are you sure you've never modeled before?" Ms. Taylor asked with a playful and skeptical squint.
Zara laughed off the compliment. "Without a doubt, I can say that I've
never
modeled before, well, as far as I know of. Unless someone was doing portraits of me without my knowledge."
"You exude a natural confidence. I mean, look at this painting. You have a natural glow which practically radiates off this canvas."
The art teacher was adamant about this claim and made a grand gesture towards the portrait.
"First of all," Zara said. "You're the one that painted this, so I feel like you're just complimenting yourself."
"Maybe a bit."
"Secondly, I feel like you're buttering me up. Like you're prepping me for a bigger task to come."
"What gives you that idea?" Ms. Taylor asked, eyebrow raised.
"The fact that we've been doing this for weeks, now all of a sudden I'm the next Mona Lisa."
"Well, to be honest, there was something I've been thinking about lately. And I've only become certain of it this past hour."
"I knew it," Zara said with a knowing nod. "Go ahead, give it to me."
"What do you think of my breast casting story? You know, women with cancer who want to memorialize their figure."
"Like I said, it was moving to hear about. I can only imagine what kind of resilience a woman would need in that situation."
Ms. Taylor seemed emboldened. "I want to organize a gift-giving program for these women. I have plenty of experience using plaster."
"God, that's amazing," Zara said with brightened eyes. "Why didn't you tell me before? Need anything? I'd love to donate my time."
"I'd love your help. But it has nothing to do with your college degrees."
Zara's interest was piqued. "Come on, spill it."
"You can offer your breasts to me," Ms. Taylor stated. "I've never done plaster on a person's body before, much less a pair of breasts. We have great chemistry and I think you're beautiful. On top of that, you're fearless."
Defensively, Zara put her hand over her chest. "A portrait is one thing, but come on."
It instantly dawned on her that although she was the much younger one in their friendship, she had now become the most prudish. It was usually the other way around. It was usually Zara who had to teach Ms. Taylor about the latest phone apps, tv shows, and slang that young people use nowadays.
Nudity, it seems, is where the roles were reversed.
"Ah, my mistake," Ms. Taylor blushed and smiled. "I guess I was wrong."
Zara gave an awkward shrug. "You caught me way off guard. I'm assuming you've made topless or nude portraits before."
"Throughout college, my early adulthood, and I still make them sometimes on the weekends for art shows. Nothing beats it, really."
"I remember being in college hanging around my artist friends. They've mentioned the same thing, that nude portraits are unbeatable."
Ms. Taylor flashed a skeptical look again. "You had artist friends in college and none of them tried to paint you?"
"I never said that," Zara replied humorously. "Sure, they did try to paint me or take pictures of me. At that age, I was a much different person. Even if it was just a few years ago."
"Well, it's too bad you're not interested. I was truly hoping you'd do it."
"You must know tons of nude models with all your connections."
"But they don't have breasts like you."
Zara softly touched her chest. "These are standard affairs. I can assure you of that. Plus they're quite milky at the moment. Trust me, it'll be a wet mess if you ever tried to plaster them."
"Can I be blunt?" Ms. Taylor asked with eager eyes. "The fact that your breasts have milk are precisely why I want to work with you."
"Oh?"
"I think about it like this; if I can manage to successfully plaster your breasts, then I know I'm gentle enough to work with any woman. Because some of these women are up there in age, or other health reasons. So I thought the extra challenge of experimenting with lactating boobs would be good practice."
It made all the sense in the world and suddenly Zara felt guilty for even turning down the offer in the first place.
"How exactly would this work?" Zara gently inquired. "I mean, is the plaster cold? Will it hurt? Are you going to be staring at my nipples up close for a long time?"
"To answer your questions, it's slightly cold, and I'm not sure how it'll feel on breasts. I've never done it before. And for your last question -- yes -- I'll be looking at your boobs up close. I'll even be touching them, too."
"I must sound like the biggest prude in the world."
Ms. Taylor laughed. "It's perfectly understandable. Exposing breasts is an unusual thing to do. But it's for a great cause."
"An amazing cause."
"It really is. I've only learned about this recently from some friends of mine in the art community. I've spent a lot of my free time thinking about it, and with school out, there's plenty of time to work my magic."
"You do have a lot of magic in your hands," Zara said. "Alright, you've got me. Count me in."
Ms. Taylor flashed a generous smile. "I knew you couldn't resist. Your heart is simply too big."
"Well, that's not the only thing that's too big. I have to confess now."
"What do you mean?"
"These kitties," Zara joked, gesturing to her chest. "They're pretty swollen, and I don't mean my cup size."
"Huge nipples?"
"Gumdrops."
"Sounds delicious and chewable," Ms. Taylor said with deadpan humor.
Zara's jaw hung down. "Oh my god. I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
"Fair enough. If you're still interested, then how about... let's say... Wednesday at 10 am? I'll have everything ready by then and I'll brush up on some old techniques for plastering."
"Just don't gawk at my nipples. And definitely don't chew on them or call them delicious."
"I'll try."
***
Symmetrically cut strips of dried plaster cloth were neatly arranged on a desk, right next to a bowl of water and there was also a new container of petroleum jelly. As with any art room, there was a massive roll of paper towels ready to be used.
This was Zara's first time leaving home without a bra underneath, and to school of all places. But she wore a thick sweater so no one would notice. She also had a thin sweater underneath for good measure.
Pacing around the classroom, she wondered what her friend had in store for her today. Surely it would be something exciting. They'd definitely be a lot closer with each other after this.
"Where does your confidence come from," Ms. Taylor asked, wearing her famous art coat while finishing preparations. "Some models just do it. Some have a particular mindset. I'm curious, what's your approach to all this? You make a great model."
"You have such an inquisitive mind. That's partly why I enjoy modeling so much for you. Because we can talk."
"Thank you. Anything else?"
Pacing the room, Zara thought. "My mother is Persian, and I mean, she's the old school kind. She still comes to my house so she can stuff my refrigerator full of her home cooking."
"Ah, I know the type."