Uninhibited Breastfeeding in Public {Not Worth the Controversy?}

The bolded quotes below are comments that I received (on Facebook) regarding my post “Uninhibited Breastfeeding in Public {Reclaiming My Womanhood from Perversity}“.

“I just find it interesting that both sides worry about the other…let those who want to breastfeed breast feed however cover or no cover and others go on about their biz–people can i please have the time you spend worrying about this –this world is ridiculous –let s just all get along :)”

“We all need to get over ourselves and worry about real problems like world hunger or something.”

Is this just a matter of “live and let live”? Is it true that we should just “let” everyone breastfeed the way they want, covered or uncovered, and just stop “worrying about it”? Is this a shallow and trite conversation not worth having?

I’m going to have to argue that it’s not that simple, and here’s why:

We perpetuate the over-sexualization of breasts by hiding away the natural use for them and attaching shame and discomfort to it, and in doing so we are in fact harming young girls and women.

This is bigger than just a personal rant for wanting to nurse without a cover. It is certainly not “just another mommy war”. It is about our society’s values and cultural lessons, and how we are raising each generation to think about the human body. It is about all of us.

A task force of the American Psychological Association defines sexualization as follows: “when a person’s value comes only from her/his sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics, and when a person is sexually objectified, e.g., made into a thing for another’s sexual use.” By attaching shame to the act of uncovered breastfeeding in public, it is an act of sexually objectifying the woman. It is basically saying that she couldn’t possibly have a non-sexual use of her breasts that is natural and appropriate for others to see.

This task force “on the Sexualization of Girls examined research papers covering the effect of all kinds of media content including television, music videos, magazines, video games, the Internet, movies, and music lyrics. They also looked at the way products are sold and advertised to young girls.” (source for the above quote and this one is here).

The findings of the task force were disturbing, but not all that surprising (to me, anyway). “The report suggests that the sexualization of girls impedes the healthy development of a girl or young woman in several different areas. For example by undermining her confidence and making her feel dissatisfied with her body, this can result in negative self-image and lead to feelings of shame and anxiety. Also, a body of evidence now links sexualization with several of the most common mental health problems in young women and girls: eating disorders, low self -esteem and depression. And there is also the increased chance that it will impact a girl’s ability to develop a healthy sexual self-image.”

I can’t really imagine how this is not a “real problem”. The fact is that the only images people in our culture are seeing of breasts are highly sexualized and pornographic in nature, which has been identified as the cause of multiple issues as described above. What better way to combat this issue than to remove the shame and negativity surrounding the act of breastfeeding and let our society see breasts being used in a way that is natural, non-sexual, and incredible (the intricacy of the design of milk production and the science of breastfeeding is quite fascinating and awe-inspiring!).

Our culture needs to see breasts being used in a context other than sexual if this twisted way of thinking is to ever be overcome. Check out this article and this website on how the over-sexualization of breasts is a cultural phenomenon that is hurting young people, men and women, and society as a whole. How many in our culture grow up having ever seen a non-sexualized photo of normal breasts? Breast tissue, nipple, and areola. The website that I just linked has hundreds of non-sexual photos of real, normal breasts, and discusses this very issue. Perhaps med students, in their textbooks, have seen photos of breasts. Doctors and nurses have seen breasts on the bodies of their female patients. Most of the general population, however, have no idea what normal breasts look like, because we have declared them to be obscene. The exception of course is the media’s twisted and demeaning portrayal of perky and large breasts that all look the same as the others. The reality though is that normal breasts have many variations in appearance, but thanks to not allowing normal breasts to ever be seen and the portrayal of “hollywood breasts” by the media, young girls are left wondering if they’re normal, and often times they are convinced that they are not. Breast augmentation surgery, mental health and body image issues, self-esteem issues are all issues that stem from this cultural practice of shaming public breastfeeding.

If the breast taboo in Western countries has caused a decrease in successful breastfeeding, then it’s not unreasonable to think it likely that the over-sexualization of breasts has also impacted developing nations. In my own four times visiting the beautiful continent of Africa and living in the homes of nationals for several months as their guests, I was privileged to witness the culture first-hand. My understanding surely only began to scratch the surface, but it was also far more than the average person in our culture will ever see or experience. One thing that I saw frequently was just how intensely our Western culture has influenced theirs. Everything is changing about their culture, for better or for worse, because of the common perception that the “white man’s” way is better. The reasons for this are more complex than I could possibly unpack right now, but suffice it to say that it is not at all a stretch to think that our culture’s unhealthy obsession with breasts has affected third world countries as well.

The ironic thing about the comment above is that this whole issue really is connected to world hunger, which is what the commenter suggested we worry about in the first place. In this piece in the New York Times by a journalist in Niger, breastfeeding rates in many developed countries are abysmally low. The strong recommendation by the World Health Organization is exclusive breastfeeding until six months of age, with continued breastfeeding to two years and beyond. In developing nations where clean water and adequate nutrition is not readily available, failing to follow this recommendation is far more deadly than in developed nations. Yet in Niger only 9 percent of babies are exclusively breastfed until six months. That’s up from 1 percent in 1998. “Next door to Niger in Burkina Faso, fewer than 7 percent of children get breast milk exclusively for six months. In Senegal it’s 14 percent; in Mauritania, 3 percent”, writes the author.

The Lancet, a British medical journal says that “1.4 million child deaths could be averted each year if babies were breast-fed properly. That’s one child dying unnecessarily every 22 seconds.” I’m not claiming that the over-sexualization of breasts in our culture and the pressure and shame surrounding uncovered nursing in public is the direct cause of babies dying in the third world, but I cannot deny that it seems highly likely that there is a connection, and the author of the NYT piece quoted above asks the same question.

Let’s help normalize breastfeeding and fight against the objectification of women’s breasts. Of course, your number one priority as a mama is your baby. Do whatever you and your baby need. Then consider your own role in this important conversation, and decide how you can help.

My breasts are an amazingly designed part of my body. They give nourishment and comfort to my babies. If that seems weird, obscene, or gross to you, then I feel sincerely sorry for you.

Breastfeeding in public – uncovered and unashamed – is not only my personal right. It is my responsibility. There are exceptions, of course, and I’m not saying that a distractible baby needs to be uncovered for the sake of making a statement, or someone who feels very shy because of their own body issues and upbringing, etc. should breastfeed uncovered for the sake of society at large. I do think though, that this is an issue that concerns us all. A topic very much worth discussing. And it is a conversation that I dare you to have more often.

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UPDATED TO ADD: This post has turned into a four-part series, with this being Part Three. The entire series is as follows:

Uninhibited Breastfeeding in Public: Reclaiming My Womanhood From Perversity
Uninhibited Breastfeeding in Public: Is It Obscene and Inappropriate?
Uninhibited Breastfeeding in Public: Not Worth the Controversy?
Uninhibited Breastfeeding in Public: What If It Makes Others Uncomfortable?