 Breastfeeding |
So Facebook has gone and removed a woman’s photos of her breastfeeding. Facebook says the photos violate their terms of use policy. (Here’s a story about the situation). As I haven’t actually seen the pictures, they may be right. Although I am a so-called “lactivist”, attending every La Leche League meeting that I can, I support Facebook’s decision to remove photos that are obscene. However there’s a public outcry and it comes from an assumption that because the removed “obscene” photos were of a mother breastfeeding her child, then breastfeeding must be obscene.
 Me nursing Sierra – December 2005 |
Personally I don’t find nursing to be obscene or offensive. But that’s because I’m a big supporter of nursing. (I prefer the term nursing because it seems so much nicer than the term breastfeeding ’cause it’s not about the breast, it’s about nourishing and caring for your child). Society has come a long way in accepting nursing – afterall there are nursing rooms at most malls. These weren’t present 30 yrs ago when my mom nursed me. However I have noticed that I can clear out a room pretty quick at my in-laws house or even my own house when I have visitors by saying the baby is hungry… We’ve come a long way in bringing nursing back – but we still have further to go. I often wonder, if we saw more women nursing, and more images of nursing mothers in the media, on tv etc… would we find it less offensive and obscene? You know, in the same way that we find violence and partial nudity acceptable?
So here’s my question:
Is breastfeeding obscene? Are you offended by it? Do you find the photo of me nursing my daughter offensive? (You can be honest – I don’t bite!)
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Nursing isn’t offensive to me, but of course you know that…we’ve nursed together — in public! LOL…always covering up. I think people are so focused on the breast being a sexual thing they forget about it’s real purpose.
As for the controversy about pictures…Livejournal did that a while back and I found it best to just stay away from it! LMAO.
Not at all. It’s amazing and life giving and natural and I love to smile (in a non-creepy way) at women who are doing it in public to help them feel accepted. I have several pictures of me nursing and I love them even more now that my son has weaned.
I don’t think nursing a child is obscene at all. That is why God gave us breasts. North Americans in general are so uptight about the human body that it’s really sad. My cousin and her daughter in Holland used to sunbathe topless in their backyard all the time. I think you will find that most other continents are not as obsessed as North Americans are with the “sexual connotations” of the breast.
I do think though, that if you are nursing your child in public, it’s best if you cover up. There’s always someone who would be uncomfortable seeing a breast exposed. Personally, I would feel uncomfortable nursing a baby in public without covering up as well.
Meant to add that the picture of you feeding Sierra is beautiful and I for one, do not find it offensive at all!
I haven’t seen the pics either and I personally don’t think nursing a baby is offensive at all. I also ain’t gonna sit and watch it either. It is much better than bottle feeding anyday.
I think its beautiful. Its a wonder pic of you and something to cherish. I wish I had taken some more pics of me nursing. Its so far from obscene.
Some people just don’t get it…
Hooray for Boobies!
Looks like I’m the only one here but yes, I do find it offensive, – not your picture there, but breastfeeding in public. I don’t know if it’s because a normally ‘private’ body part is pulled out in front of me, or because it is too sexual a body part for me, but I’ve always found it offensive – one reason I couldn’t breastfeed my own kids was because of the sexual connotations for me (whether that’s what they were made for or not).
I think that’s why they made breastfeeding rooms, because people don’t want to watch that while they’re in a restaurant or a public place (or listen to it).
Sorry to be the dissenter
No, I do not think it is offensive at all, though I do wonder how out in the open people were about it even a hundred years ago when it was more prevalent. I agree with Kimmer, that most people probably see the breast as sexual.
I was never comfortable nursing in public and so I just would not do it. However, we had a hard time over all and so that only translated to about four and a half months before the kid decided he was done. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it at all, anywhere.
The women I know who nurse are all very discreet and there was one which actually made me laugh. In a meeting, two seats away from me, she had already been nursing for a good amount of time before anyone noticed. So it’s not like they’re just baring their breasts to the world, it’s done properly.
I nursed all my children until they were six months of age. Once they got that old I stopped because I was uncomfortable doing it.
I must admit that I was in Disney World and there was a mother nursing a child of about four or five years and THAT made me VERY uncomfortable.
I always covered up and I must say, twelve years ago MOST of my friends bottle fed, I think a lot more Mom’s nurse now then they used to.
[...] – I pictured Sierra in grade 1 being teased by her friends because there’s a picture of her nursing when she was 6 months old. I’ve thought about that potty training picture of her on the potty drinking her [...]
@jaceypants FB originally sparked a big debate by removing a bf’ing pic in Sept. ’07. I blogged about it then: http://bit.ly/4chcug