I’m feeling every one of my 65 years at the moment. I just saw a story about Facebook banning some photos of women breastfeeding their babies. The mothers involved are howling in protest. “Breastfeeding is natural!” “Breastfeeding is normal!”
Okay, I acknowledge being of a different generation. I acknowledge my personal shyness and modesty about almost everything. I acknowledge my prudishness. But still …
Come on, ladies. You don’t have to bare it all to feed your baby. Not everyone wants to see your boobs. You can nurse a baby discreetly, and keep yourself covered while doing so. Most public places that allow breastfeeding insist you keep yourself covered. And Facebook is most decidedly a public place.
The protesters say Facebook called their pictures “obscene.” As I understand it, that’s their word, not Facebook’s. Facebook said “inappropriate,” and rightly so.
It’s a matter of taste and public decency. Yes, breastfeeding is natural, and it’s normal. But so are intercourse, defecating, and nudity. And we don’t allow those in public.
Actually, in Washington, D.C., you can walk down the street in nothing but a thong as long as there is no pubic hair showing and you have shoes on. In New York, it’s perfectly legal for women to walk around topless.
That said, if I were nursing, I’d just pump some milk and take it with me. There are too many sicko perverts around who would TRY to get a glimpse of breast for reasons other than acknowledging a baby. I don’t buy the argument “oh, it’s peaceful for the baby to latch onto the boob.” Not on a subway or in a crowded restaurant, it’s not.
[Eww. Well, I’ve always been a prude. I would find all that female toplessness very offensive/embarrassing, and I’m sure I wouldn’t be alone in that (but yes, in a minority). I’ve seen a lot of liberalizing and coarsening of society in my lifetime and, not surprisingly, I’m starting to sound a lot like my mother. (Damn, I swore I’d never do that!)]
I might also capitalize “I.”
[I fixed. Let others guess which “I” it was.]
LOL 30 I can’t believe you said breastfeeding was a matter of taste. 😆
I agree with you – these women need to get a life and get over the idea that everyone wants to see their boobs while they are feeding their little angels. Oh-oh, I guess our ages are showing, eh? 😉
Annie
[ROFL. I try so hard not to edit myself too much, and look what happens!]
omg, omg, omg – I’ve got a little breastfeeding story for ya. Back in ’91, when I had my first born… we didn’t have a lot of money so I wanted to give the breastfeeding a try- also, I knew it to be more nutritional, so “win-win” situation, right? Yes, this coming from a girl who belonged to a family that all believed in FORMULA and thought I fell off my rocker.
In desperation, I turned to my SIL (the psycho breast feeder that was still nursing her 5 year old) for tips because my son just wasn’t latching on, and lets be honest, he was my “first” – – – tensions were running high and I thought my bowling balls would explode if I didn’t get some help!!!
She went all “La Leche League” on me, telling me what a horrible parent I’d be if I had ever even thought of feeding my child formula. I felt so confused and like such a bad parent because I was also very prudish and all my friends were still going out to dinner, to the theatre, and to the mall- I didn’t want to go because I certainly wasn’t going to whip out a tit at the mall. The thought of anyone catching a glimpse of my tit was soooooo NOT gonna happen. That’s how I was back then.
Anywho, I had no luck with the “pumping” and at that time, the breastfeeding privacy rooms were not available. Bottom line, I was not comfortable breastfeeding in public. So, at 3 months, I decided to switch to formula because I was ready… I’ll never forget the first time the huz fed our son and I was able to cook dinner – sheer freedom for me. I had help for the first time.
My SIL tried her best to make me feel shitty, looking down at me. There were times when she’d come over, my husband would have HIS friends over and she would nurse right in front of all the guys. Ok, that’s GROSS. Another time I went to my room for privacy and she barged into the room without knocking to see how I was doing. WTF? Get TF outta here! Crazy ass! Not everyone is “in to” it. I did nurse my twins (actually, just the daughter cuz her twin brother just didn’t catch on very well). All and all, breastfeeding was an excellent experience – but not everyone feels comfortable looking at it, and that’s ok too.
What is it with these women who want to throw their breasts in your face? If they want a medal for what they are doing, they really do need to put on a shirt so we can having something to pin it on. While it’s very admirable to nurse your child, it’s private.
My bff and her neighbor laugh their asses off at the woman across the street who whipped out her boob in front of their husbands to nurse her child. Why not excuse yourself and go into the family room, and have a seat on the couch? That just seems more appropriate to me but whatever….
I don’t care what anyone writes about me here… I really don’t – I wouldn’t be too happy if my neighbor came over and whipped out her boobs to feed her baby in front of my family. I’d think she was a few nuggets short of a happy meal!
So, back to why they feel the need to show it off? Yes, it’s beautiful, it’s an indescribable bond between mother and child…I just happen to think it’s private.
[LOL! Thanks for your always entertaining down-to-earth commentary. I particularly liked the line about putting a shirt on so there’s a place to pin their medal! I feel less like an out-of-touch prudish old woman now.]
I agree with you completely! It’s great to want to breastfeed your kids, but why would you want to post pics? I don’t blame Facebook for banning the pics at all.
[Aha! Another vote for modesty. Thank you.]