People never seem to have a problem with half naked women posing in barely-there bikinis on Instagram. “EMPOWERMENT” everybody cheers, like a genetically-gifted supermodel capturing her pert derriere mid-thrust is some incredible feat of feminism.
But as soon as an everyday mum posts a photo breastfeeding her young son? Not. Okay.
“COVER UP!”, “THROW A BLANKET ON” the judgement rolls in, like a mother feeding her offspring is this dirty, inappropriate thing that must be relegated to the offline world.
Luckily for us Naomi Jael Covert, a mum from Vilseck, Germany, knows that’s complete and utter bullshit. This 21-year-old sees breastfeeding as inherently beautiful, and a snap she uploaded to Instagram this week has our entire office cheering.
“When you are at a wedding, wear fancy dress and high heels (sic) and your baby gets hungry, well… you give no shits and feed the kid,” the mum captioned the photo to her followers.
Since giving birth 10 months ago, Naomi, who also happens to be a full-time army wife, has regularly posted photos of little TJ feeding and received no backlash. But after posting this silly feeding photo at her friend’s wedding, she sparked a feverish debate overnight.
Watch Those Two Girls talk breast milk below. (Post continues after video.)
Not only did the photo gain traction on her own account – gathering more than 4000 likes – it was shared by a wildly popular blog, @empowermentbirthproject, where people flocked to argue whether the image was “inappropriate” and “shameful”, or something that should be championed.
The worst of the commenters sexualised Naomi’s breasts – something so obscene I refuse to voice their ridiculousness here – while others believed she “overexposed herself” and pleaded the young mother to practice “modesty”.
Because the trolls don’t deserve a second of anyone’s time, here’s some of the lovely comments Naomi received.
Considering that Naomi is a total QUEEN who flatly refuses to let the online judgment and negativity get to her (my new hero), she edited her caption to add a few very valid points.
"Here in Germany people don't get mad about it. It is NORMAL . Nothing rude or bad about it. This is why I have breasts! Cause God gave me boobs for feeding my babies."
Speaking to BuzzFeed about the hoopla, the mum said she was "shocked" to find people sexualising a photo of her feeding her son, adding that at the wedding the guests were completely at ease, some even helping her unzip her dress.
“It’s just normal – you have conversations with people while feeding the child," she said, continuing: “It is nothing sexual... It’s just another person eating.”
Hear, hear Naomi.
Top Comments
What a fantastic photo - she looks hot! And like she's having a wonderful time. Good on her and yes, it's just another person having something to eat. Let's all not get our knickers in a twist about feeding a baby at a wedding.
Why did she have to post it to Instagram?
Exactly BECAUSE people still find it so offensive. Until society at large can see a breastfeeding woman and respond with nothing but acceptance and love, these photos are not only completely okay, but actually necessary.
Why did she have to expose so much of her breast?
Because she's BREASTfeeding, ie, she's using it. I see women struggle with those capes because they don't feel comfortable enough to just breastfeed in public. Me, I never used them because for me they were uncomfortable, my bub couldn't feed comfortably either, and personally I found it ridiculous that I should even feel the need to cover myself that much.
You go mumma! I love your style.