Monday, March 23, 2009

Revisitng An On-going Debate

I had breakfast yesterday with two of my friends and we got on the subject of America's out-of-whack perception of breastfeeding. Like when people think it's sexually explicit or distasteful ... and how some people commented that this cover of BabyTalk was, "gross."



Really?

Some people get all huffy and judgy when they see a picture of a breast being used for it's primary biological function, but they don't have any issues with racy Victoria's Secret commercials that are broadcast on prime time TV.




I'm just saying ... out-of-whack.

Edited to Add: I have no idea why the comment section is missing ... sorry!

Edited Again to Add: It appears that the comments section is back.

5 comments:

Short and Sweet said...

I totally agree with you. The magazine cover is tastefully done and there is absolutely nothing offensive about it. I'm upset over the constant exploitation of a woman's body in the media, soaps, and prime time TV. It seems that boobs are only used for SEX, SEX and more SEX. Grrrrr! I do believe that their primary purpose is for lactation...notice I said "primary". If the mother who was worried about her 13 year-old son seeing that cover would step onto a primary or intermediate playground, she would be more shocked at the language he hears than the things he sees! I've been around plenty of 11, 12, and 13 year-old kids and their reaction to that cover (if they reacted at all) would be a snicker at the most. Believe me they would never be traumatized by a baby nursing on an exposed breast. Let's face it, video games and motion pictures have demoralized our society more than this cover. Selma Hayak has the right idea and I applaud her and you, too.

Colleen said...

Is it bad if I say that I don't want to see boobs anywhere? I don't want to see them on the cover of Baby Talk, and I don't want to see them on a Victoria's Secret Special. I don't want to see them if you are nursing, and I don't want to see them in catalogs. Mainly, I just don't want to see them because they never show the boob that has been used to nurse a child, but that is a perky boob of someone who still wants to show it on the cover of a magazine. My are under wraps because not only do they not look like that, they hang much lower now! I guess my point is I don't want to see them because I am jealous!

Karen said...

No, it's not bad to say that you don't want to see them anywhere. I am not a proponent of letting it all hang out while one breastfeeds either. I just think some people have a skewed perception of breasts, since in our pop-culture where sex sells practically everything it's (sometimes) difficult for people to tolerate public nursing because it reminds them of something potentially sexual ... which is what makes them uncomfortable. I never felt 100% comfortable nursing in public, mostly because I figured other people would be uncomfortable. And I even wrote that whole other post about the 2 and a half year old yanking out his mom's boob at the play area at the mall because he wanted a drink ... so these two posts kind of contradict each other, lol.

Although I do have to add that with all the letters written to the magazine about the cover, the editors made sure to clarify that the picture was not touched up at all. I'm jealous, too. After I'm done having babies I will definitely consider some cosmetic surgery ... not for enlargement, but to repair the "damage" done from years of nursing.

Colleen said...

That boob doesn't have a single stretch mark, there is NO WAY! AND, the little apron covers they have now to cover when breastfeeding are so cute, who wouldn't want one of those!!!!! Maybe people who aren't suckered into buying every single baby product out there, OOOoooh, I am a sucker!

R. Batty said...

Come on now, there's a lot of primary biological functions that none of us want to see. I think we can all appreciate a fine ass, but I'm guessing that most of us have no desire to watch that ass take a crap. Am I right?

But to be a bit more serious, I think the problem is the uneasy relationship we have in this country with our bodies: simultaneously wanting to see them while at the same time suggesting that there's something horribly wrong with that. So we draw arbitrary lines designating what's "appropriate" versus what is "indecent." Breasts only become indecent once you see nipple (or a baby suckling at the nipple you can't see, but know is there), but put a pastie on that thing and you're good to go! So what you moms should really be asking yourselves is, "Does my baby prefer glitter or tassels?" ;-)