The breastfeeding rates in the US are on the rise, and that is encouraging (according to the CDC the rate of babies breastfeeding at 6 months of age went from 35% in 2000 to 49% in 2010). Even though more women are doing it, there still hasn't been a cultural shift to "normalcy" yet. There is still vehement opposition to breastfeeding, specifically to the act in public. Breastfeeding in public is protected in federal buildings as long as the woman is legally allowed to be there; the law doesn't not differentiate between using a cover or not. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, "forty-five states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands have laws that specifically allow women to breastfeed in any public or private location" (http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/breastfeeding-state-laws.aspx). Breastfeeding is encouraged by the Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization, and American Academy of Pediatrics. It is legally protected both at the federal and state level. Yet why are we, as the American people, so offended by it?
Like I said before, our country's opposition to public breastfeeding is not universal, but a cultural attitude. The front of the passport for Gabon features a woman breastfeeding, the opposite breast exposed. Talk about normalcy for the Gabonese! One American woman took to the internet to vent about being discriminated against for breastfeeding. An Australian woman replied, "I don't understand your country's problem with breastfeeding! Us Aussies do it without anyone bothering us. It's just a part of life." I find it odd that human beings all over the world can go about their business feeding their babies without opposition, that no one bats an eye, yet we can be utterly disgusted and enraged over breastfeeding in the United States.
Let's just look to social media for a minute. There is a page that I follow on Facebook that is attempting to support all women throughout pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and parenting. It repeatedly gets pictures removed of breastfeeding mothers and bans are placed on the page for "violating the user terms." Women who simply post pictures of themselves enjoying a nursing/snuggle session with their little one often get the same results. The images are removed. Yet, soft porn images are not removed. Women giving life is not allowed, but women as sex objects are. For me, this is the core of the issue. Our society is okay with the sexualization of the female form, but not the nurturing, life-sustaining one.
*warning! graphic images!*
Let's just look to social media for a minute. There is a page that I follow on Facebook that is attempting to support all women throughout pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and parenting. It repeatedly gets pictures removed of breastfeeding mothers and bans are placed on the page for "violating the user terms." Women who simply post pictures of themselves enjoying a nursing/snuggle session with their little one often get the same results. The images are removed. Yet, soft porn images are not removed. Women giving life is not allowed, but women as sex objects are. For me, this is the core of the issue. Our society is okay with the sexualization of the female form, but not the nurturing, life-sustaining one.
*warning! graphic images!*
This photograph, and many like it, has been removed from Facebook.
This photo, and many like it, is allowed to stay on the social media site.
Here's the thing:
We do not have a problem with breasts in this country. We love boobs! I mean, who wouldn't? We simply have a problem with breasts being used for anything but sex. We can't possibly understand that something has more than one function. It bothers us to see an innocent baby sucking on something so sexual in nature. And this is where the women's rights issue comes in. A woman's body isn't only for sex. It has other purposes and functions.
My mouth has many functions. It can be used to eat and communicate. It can also be used for sex. We don't have a problem separating the two. When the mouth is used for sexual purposes it is expected to be done in private. However, I don't have to keep my mouth hidden when I'm using it for nonsexual purposes, such as eating. I am not denying that breasts aren't sexual because they are. I'm just denying the looney idea that our minds can't possibly separate the two acts- sex and breastfeeding. What you do with the body part, whether it's your mouth or hand or breast, defines its function.
(I understand that someone will try to use my analogy to say, "Then if I'm not using my penis for sex, I should be able to whip it out anywhere." I understand that the example isn't flawless. I'm just asking you to think differently for a minute. I'm attempting to challenge your perspective.)
I've heard several arguments. I've heard "I don't have a problem if you breastfeed, I just don't want to see it." or "I do not want to walk into a restaurant and watch someone do that while I'm trying to eat. It's disgusting." or "I don't want my son to see that." I get it. I'm not trying to disrespect anyone's feelings. What I AM trying to do is to challenge you to forget that mindset for just a second. What if your son grew up seeing women breastfeed? What if his first experiences with breasts were that of nurturing? What if he saw a woman's body doing extraordinary things like make milk and sustain a life solely with her own body? What if he grew up learning that breasts are more than sex objects? What if from the beginning of his life he saw the act as an innocent way to feed a baby and not something sexual and perverse? What if YOU grew up that way? Imagine yourself for a moment being from another culture. Imagine that you saw your mom, your neighbor, your sister, your friend all breastfeed. Imagine that it was a normal part of life and no one had anything to say about it. Imagine no one ever asked a woman to cover up, sit in a dirty bathroom, or hide out in a sweltering hot car to feed her baby. It wouldn't be so bad would it? If you grew up seeing it, everyone around you did it, and no one had any objections to it... you probably wouldn't think it was gross/odd/perverse, right?
Or just imagine you and your child enjoying this Mister Rogers' Neighborhood episode from the 60's. Or this Sesame Street episode from 1977. Our country hasn't always been so against breastfeeding, which gives me hope that us Americans can once again begin to see it as normal. We won't ever get past the sexualization of breastfeeding unless we take down these cultural attitudes that limit breasts to sex. And women will never be free unless they are supported to do what their bodies are meant for. Let's stop the shaming. Let's stop the ugly stares. Let's stop the banning of these images from our society. Let's stop the discrimination. Breastfeeding may be legally protected and encouraged by reputable health organizations, but cultural norms are always more powerful than laws and expert advocacy.
And please, women, it starts with us. If women won't support other women, who will?
:D
ReplyDeletePreach it woman!
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