We Want Mummy Peace!

[Editor]

We’ve had enough of ‘mummy wars’ and are pressing for ‘mummy peace’, but a new photo is stirring a recurring controversial topic; and this time it’s the military up in arms.

Breastfeeding in public has been in the headlines recently; most notably for Time magazine’s cover story. A new headline on Yahoo’s Shine, “Military Moms Breastfeeding…” has drawn its own attention.

The photo was one single component of a breast feeding awareness campaign supporting mother’s rights to breastfeed. The issue is only an ‘issue’ because the women pictured are wearing their air force uniforms.

"People are comparing breastfeeding in uniform to urinating and defecating in uniform. They're comparing it to the woman who posed in "Playboy" in uniform" Crystal Scott, organizer of Mom2mom of Fairchild Air Force Base told Yahoo. "We never expected it to be like this."

"The Air Force has never endorsed these photos," the photographer, Brynja Sigurdardottir points out on her website, where she posted several other photos from the Mom2Mom campaign. "These women just happen to be in the Air Force, in their uniform, breastfeeding their babies."​

Breast feeding is only natural, and it is a mother’s right to choose whether or not to breastfeed. There is no legislation against breast feeding in HK, in fact, the right to breastfeed is protected under the Sexual Discrimination Ordinance. The general consensus is for mothers in Hong Kong to be discreet and respectful (find some good recommendations on places to breast feed in HK on this thread).

What do HK mums think about all this?

 

[GeoDerek]

 

[charade]

The Time cover wasn't about breastfeeding in public, it was about continuing to breastfeed after a certain age. Is breastfeeding in public controversial in the US? Why do I feel like this is a non-issue that the media is desperately trying to whip up into an issue?

 

[howardcoombs]

Why do I feel like this is a non-issue that the media is desperately trying to whip up into an issue?

It could be because you are an intelligent person and can recognize poor attempts of the media to get people riled up with the outrage-du-jour to increase circulation

Dont worry, there will be a new one next week

 

[thanka2]

The Time cover wasn't about breastfeeding in public, it was about continuing to breastfeed after a certain age. Is breastfeeding in public controversial in the US? Why do I feel like this is a non-issue that the media is desperately trying to whip up into an issue?

Yes, actually it is an issue in the United States with a few well-known celebrities including Barbara Walters in some ways "speaking out against it." There are "nurse-ins" that are held quite often. The most recent nation-wide nurse-in I can think of was held in December 2011 at Target stores.

I think that it has been a "below-the-surface" issue for quite a few years--probably for the past decade or so especially because there has been a lot said about one one hand the increasing "early sexualization of girls" and the "objectification of women" (everywhere we go we see women's bodies used to sell products in increasingly more provocative or "demeaning" ways) and we have little girls who want to grow up to be "some rap guy's 'ho" because that's what they see that will get them places in the media and then ON THE OTHER HAND we have people throwing up a fit about how uncomfortable they feel if they see a woman breastfeeding in public. America, land of conflicting extremes. While, at a very local level, I don't know how much of a big deal breastfeeding in public is but I think American women have a weird historical socialization of you're either a "virgin" or a "slut" and never the twain shall meet. So, I know that many of my American friends do not feel comfortable nursing in public without a cover or a blanket. I guess we can thank the Puritans? This is me speaking on my observations of my own community as an American but again, the USA is a huge place.

I think the recent media attention has made it a little more dramatic than this conflict has been in the past but the conflict has been there for awhile.

There is an Attachment Parenting blogger and cartoonist who makes a lot of comics commenting on this phenomenon of discomfort in seeing a woman's breast in public unless it's in a sexual context. Even Facebook removes photos of women breastfeeding their children if they are flagged as "pornographic." Although it seems that Facebook has clarified its rules concerning breastfeeding photos. I am unsure if the censorship has still continued.

Other websites try to educate people that the breast is not only a sexual part of the human anatomy. They also have a great function in feeding children.

 

[charade]

Hmm interesting. Didn't realise antipathy to breastfeeding in public was so widespread.

Just thought that tacking this onto the whole Time furore was stretching it. From the point of view of the organisers of the campaign I guess a good way to get more people to examine their prejudices but riding on the Time cover's coat-tails might be counterproductive. I see them as two separate issues but I guess to the general public they all come up the umbrella of breastfeeding and to the media a few more soundbytes.

 

[Portia]

I just googled it and was surprised to read that according to one survey, 57 percent of Americans were against women breastfeeding in public. And there are still 3 states that do not have laws allowing women to breastfeed in public or exempting them from prosecution for public indecency laws.
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