We thought we were in the clear but this week saw the media reporting full throttle on booby-milk stories.
A good thing never lasts, or so it seems.
For a whole five minutes there was no mainstream media stories shaming breastfeeding mums on their incredibly insensitive decision to feed their babies from their bodies.
Then BAM this week there’s story after story about some random woman’s baby feeders offending some poor ignorant sole.
And these were not just run of the mill “why do women breastfeed” stories, we’re talking sprinkler boobs, people getting kicked out of restaurants and compete invasion of privacy social media posts.
Connor Kendall, one poor woman, from Indiana, in the US, was forced to defend herself publicly after a man she didn’t even know posted a picture of her feeding her child all over social media.
Then we saw uproar over Josephine Fenton, a woman who simply wanted to try on her dream wedding dress at Jean Jackson Couture store , but was told she had to feed “outside on the street” in case she somehow squirted milk on all of the dresses in the store.
I mean, sure if you’re feeding you my get a little on your own shirt but when I fed I sure as hell never squirted anyone or anything across the room from me.
A little closer to home we also heard the story this week about Jessica-Anne Allen, the owner of Cheese and Biscuits Cafe in Rockhampton Queensland, who had to tell a customer to leave after and a middle aged man complained about a women “not covering up” when she fed her baby at the café.
“It should never have been an issue in the first place because it is a form of adult bullying and is actually against the law to approach a breastfeeding mother and ask her to stop or cover up,” Allen said in an interview with Goodfood.
And she’s right, it never should have happened.
None of these incidents should have happened.
Exactly why do we keep policing breastfeeding women and their bodies?
St. Francis Xavier University in partnership with the group "Building a Breastfeeding Environment" created this fantastic parody video showcasing public attitudes towards breastfeeding. Post continues arter video.
Why is it okay to have society filled with buxom ladies in revealing shirts and swimwear and still completely unacceptable to have a woman feeding a baby from her breast in public?
And no, this isn’t a pro breastfeeding/anti bottle-feeding issue. These stories have nothing to do with that, completely separate, debate.
These stories are simply about women who have chosen breastfeeding as the method in which they will feed their child and they are being condemned and publicly criticised for it.
These stories are so strange; I don’t even get how this can occur. Squirting wedding dresses, are they serious? Taking photos of strangers for public shaming?
How about we let mums feed their babies, however and wherever they choose and get on with our lives. Surely there’s way more important things we can focus our attention on.
Have you been shamed for public breastfeeding? Tell us your story.
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