(Originally posted 7/28, but I bumped it back up to the top)
I saw the cover of BabyTalk magazine the other day, I forget where. I saw the boobie. I was SHOCKED, I tell you. UTTERLY SHOCKED that they would put a NAKED BREAST on the cover of a magazine that CHILDREN MIGHT SEE. The should have at least put it in that opaque plastic that the Playboys are in. Don't they know that breasts SHOULD NEVER BE SEEN? Unless, of course, they are poking up out of a tiny string bikini on the cover of FHM. Or they are selling beer or cars. Breasts are SEXUAL, people. Let's keep them in context. No CHILD should ever be in the same frame as something so BLATANTLY SEXUAL. That's GROSS. And SICK. And UNNATURAL.
Oh. Wait a second. Wrong personality.
Now, really people. The naked spherical mass on the right of the page is clearly a breast, but it's been as de-breastified as much as a breast can be. There's no hint of a nipple. There is nothing marking it as sexual, no bra strap dangling over a shoulder, no other breast meeting in the middle to form seductive cleavage. NOTHING. Take away the rest of the picture, and it could be anything. A bowl laying on it's side. A piece of peach paper.
Is it any shock that women don't nurse longer, as the cover queries? If 25% of BabyTalk's readership (25 fucking percent!) is this opposed to seeing an airbrushed debreastified breast uncovered, can you imagine the uproar that goes on in their heads when a women whips it out at storytime? And even if no one says anything, that woman tensely trying to breastfeed is going to remember the furor over this, and she's going to know she's offending someone. Do you know how hard it is for a baby to nurse from a mother who is feeling so much tension and insecurity? Do you know how hard it is to relax enough to have a letdown when you think you're offending someone? It's damn near impossible. You might as well try to have an orgasm in front of a judge.
And if you think that picture is bad, if you think that's indecent, look at this picture. This is me, nursing as I normally do at home. Want to make a statement? Leave this indecency where your children might see it. Want to be a real rebel? Post your own indiscreet nursing picture.
*UPDATES!*
Boobs from around the net...
Jody- she also has a great roundup of relevant links.
And check out this topless news report on the subject at hand. You'll notice there are two nipples visible in this one.
**If you posted a picture and I missed you, email me and I'll put up a link. If you'd rather not have the extra traffic, email me and I'll remove the link.**
I posted mine last week. I will e-mail the link. Great post!
Posted by: ccw | Wednesday, August 02, 2006 at 11:51 AM
I'm surprised that the crazy "A BREAST IS A SEXUAL THING" people don't object to gestation and birth in general. How dare we get babies so close to vaginas? I mean, a vagina is a sexual thing!
Oh, wait.
Posted by: akeeyu | Wednesday, August 02, 2006 at 12:46 PM
I posted an entry about not having pictures of me breastfeeding my kids. I love all yours.
Posted by: Lisa V | Wednesday, August 02, 2006 at 02:11 PM
I finally got mine up today. And I must say that akeeyu's comment makes me laugh.
Posted by: Casey | Wednesday, August 02, 2006 at 02:25 PM
i didn't even know about the cover but i just wrote a blog about breastfeeding-sis and friend are pregnant and they have me thinking about it. show the boobs!!! as heard on everybody loves raymond "these are working boobs!"
Posted by: ali | Wednesday, August 02, 2006 at 03:12 PM
Great post. I am offended that people think there is something worong with the picture on the magazine cover. I wish I had a picture to post but I'm 31 weeks pregnant with # 1 so in about 9 weeks I hope, I'll post one, just for the hell of it.
Posted by: Portlairge | Wednesday, August 02, 2006 at 09:01 PM
More at
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=13029657&postID=115404452813717276
Posted by: nate | Thursday, August 03, 2006 at 12:24 PM
Okay, I posted my picture too.
Afraid it might get taken down, though, because even my baby's head is not big enough to cover my huge-ass nipples.
Posted by: MomSquared | Thursday, August 03, 2006 at 02:26 PM
Great post! And I love everyone's photos!
My own sorry breastfeeding experience is sort of described in the latest post of my blog.
How are the separation plans going?
Emily
Posted by: Emily | Thursday, August 03, 2006 at 05:28 PM
Thank you so much for leaving a comment on my blog so I could follow the link here to your blog and see what you wrote and all the fabulous posts on the same topic.
Once again I am astounded by the general population. I can not even wrap my head around how a nursing baby can be offensive.
Posted by: chris | Sunday, August 06, 2006 at 06:27 PM
I put up a tandem nursing pic at http://o-scientist.blogspot.com/2006/08/warning-shows-boobs.html
Figured could as well show TWO boobs being used the way nature intended
Thanks for this initiative, it's awesome!
Karen
Posted by: Karen | Sunday, August 06, 2006 at 10:49 PM
What a great idea. I will have to dig through pics to see if I can find one to post.
I walked past a mom on the beach today sticking a bottle in her baby's face while it sat it the stroller, and I thought, wouldn't it be a great world if moms that did that came under public censure, If they got all of the comments. "gross, you're feeding your baby formula, that is so unnatural." "what don't you have breasts?" maybe we could start a revolution by commenting back. Problem is we'd end up hurting someone who had genuine problems and really tried.
Posted by: carrien | Monday, August 07, 2006 at 12:51 AM
I love the list you have here! Thank you for organizing it.
I put a picture up too
http://www.kjsl.com/~imacmom/agog/?p=2259
Posted by: rachel | Monday, August 07, 2006 at 09:39 AM
Me too me too!
http://tinklebelle.com/?p=699
Posted by: Emily | Monday, August 07, 2006 at 09:56 AM
To protest the silly knee-jerk reaction to the Babytalk magazine cover, I decided to do my video news report totally topless. Of course, it's not nearly as scandalous, but it would be if I were a woman!
http://sightspeed.blogspot.com/2006/08/last-10-minutes-do-you-think-my.html
Posted by: peter | Monday, August 07, 2006 at 12:36 PM
AK! How did I miss this? I posted on this two weeks ago, with a big old pic of me!
http://queenofspainblog.com/2006/07/27/babytalk-mag-cover-with-boob-been-there-done-that/
Posted by: QofS | Monday, August 07, 2006 at 05:37 PM
wouldn't it be a great world if moms that did that came under public censure, If they got all of the comments. "gross, you're feeding your baby formula, that is so unnatural."
Actually, NO, it would not. It would be a great world if women could stop passing judgment on each other's parenting choices.
Posted by: Anna | Monday, August 07, 2006 at 08:23 PM
I posted about what my BF said about it...
http://redstapler23.blogspot.com/2006/08/why-we-love-mr-stapler.html
Posted by: Suebob | Monday, August 07, 2006 at 09:03 PM
Photos up: http://lunachele.livejournal.com/126356.html
Posted by: Chele | Monday, August 07, 2006 at 11:39 PM
I posted about this topic, although I have never breastfed. I agree with you 100%!
I also linked back to this post - I hope you don't mind!
Posted by: Trista | Tuesday, August 08, 2006 at 07:55 AM
All I can picture now is these people running out into a field to beat calves and lambs with sticks, when they see them nursing. After all, that has to be just as "disgusting" as a human infant nursing!
Posted by: Brigitte | Tuesday, August 08, 2006 at 12:22 PM
I posted pics, too!
These ones are of my newborn but I'm flashing a breast tattoo so I'm sure they'll be "offensive" to somebody. ;)
Great round-up. I had the courage to bf in public and it makes me sad to think that some moms don't. Fuck em (those who think it is gross or innapropriate) is right!
Posted by: Mary Tsao | Tuesday, August 08, 2006 at 03:05 PM
I posted my pics!
http://jody2ms.com/?p=498
It just blows my mind to see that 25% thought it was lewd. Just...unreal!!!!
Posted by: jody2ms | Tuesday, August 08, 2006 at 05:00 PM
Well, I had to jump on this bandwagon. That article ticked me off for several days. My photos may be late but they're up and they're proud.
Posted by: ccap | Wednesday, August 09, 2006 at 01:07 PM
Thank you for linking to me!
Posted by: Vanessa | Wednesday, August 09, 2006 at 10:35 PM