Taboo(b)??
This magazine cover has sparked major controversy! And according to this article, it wasn't a group of fundamentalist conservatives that had their knickers in a twist, but mothers who read the magazine! Kinda weird, I thought, that mothers would be freaked out by pictures of a MOTHER nursing?
Apparently I am way behind the boob controversy. While most people advocate breastfeeding, many mothers are split on where it is appropriate to nurse. Should a mother nurse in public?
When mothers wrote in complaining about this cover, comments ran something like, "I immediately turned the magazine face down...gross." And a mother who didn't want her teenage son to see, "I shredded it, a breast is a breast, it's a sexual thing. He didn't need to see that."
Hmmm. That kinda struck me as odd. It's not a boob on the cover of Playboy, this breast is feeding an infant! Is there really NO difference? What do you guys think?
Granted, I'm not a mother, but I think if I was in a restaraunt, I would just cover myself with a blanket, not make a big deal about it and quietly nurse my baby. Why should I go stand in an uncomfortable, crowded, dirty bathroom? If I can, I'd like to breastfeeed one day-- it's supposedly really better...
"Breastfeeding protects babies from colds, flu, and ear infections, pneumonia, diarrhea, and even obesity, doctors say. It also helps mothers burn up to 500 calories a day (sweet). Some studies show extended breast-feeding reduces risk of ovarian and breast cancer, as well as Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. Breast milk contains a wonderful hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK), which induces sleepiness (also awesome), both in the baby and the mother. It is the easiest method to put your child to sleep. Plus breastfeeding is a natural way of bonding with your child. Nursing and holding the child close causes the brain to release a hormone-like substance called oxytocin. Its release is especially pronounced with skin-to-skin contact. This hormone has been called "bonding hormone". It provides a sense of calm and well being and helps the mother and child to bond together."
In case you're wondering, studies show that 57 percent of the public are uncomfortable with public breast-feeding, according to Babytalk magazine. But breast-feeding in public is not outlawed in any state. In fact, 42 states have laws that specifically protect a woman's right to breast-feed in public.
This is what I've been thinking about today.... I'd love your feedback.
posted by Tobes @ 10:11 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
It was really funny because my sis subscibes to this magazine (and received 2 for some reason), but my brother-in-law and I saw it together, and we both said, "woah. well, whatever..." I also said, Maybe it's a fake...? Thinking that it could be pornographic. There really is nothing wrong with it. Shit, you can see the same amount of boob in People or Entertainment Weekly and even more in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. This is a magazine that chose to focus on breastfeeding, and their marketing team got exactly what they wanted - some attention.
Umm...I think women should be able to breastfeed pretty much wherever they want. Most people do it discreetly anyway and you hardly notice. As for the cover, it's hard to object to given the context, but it does seem a little overdone what with this woman's breast taking up half the page. On the one hand I'm thinking, "she's feeding her baby, no one should be objecting," and on the other hand I'm thinking, "hmm, these upset women have a point."
Since I work with babies everyday, maybe I'm kind of used to it, but also because I know how good breastfeeding is for babies, I think that mothers should be encouraged EVERYWHERE to breastfeed at any time and place at any point in the day.
My older sister lives in Boulder, and she said that a few years ago there was a 'breastfeeding-in' (like a sit-in) at a coffee shop that told a mom that she couldn't breastfeed there.
It is SO much better for the babies-- not to mention the fact that it's a perfectly natural process. There's no reason anyone should feel dirty or embarrassed for feeding their child. If people felt dirty looking at it, then I think that says more about them then about the photograph.
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