Breastfeeding in Public

[Weaver]

I don't care as long as the person feeding doesn't get mad at me if I see their boobs.

It's legal for woman to be topless here anyways.

 

[Fappy]

But mostly, I think we need to grow up as a culture.

So much this.

Social conditioning have taught us that our bodies and their functions are inherently shameful and icky. This is obviously a stupid notion and we should never feel ashamed or embarrassed about our biology. We're all humans, after all. Raising children is literally the point of our continued existence as a species, so it's pretty silly to say women can't feed their children in public.

Some people just need to get over themselves.

 

[otakon17]

Okay, so this seems like an odd one but I was listening to a discussion about breastfeeding in public on the radio and I was quite surprised by the attitudes of some people towards it.

By public, I mean in restaurants, in shopping centres and what have you.

A few questions to start discussion, inspired by some of the answers people gave on the radio regarding the topic:

Does it make you feel uncomfortable when you see a woman breastfeeding her child in a public area? If so, does it always make you uncomfortable or is it okay provided that her breasts are completely covered?

Alternatively, do you just see it as something natural and non-sexual, something women should be free to do whenever and wherever they please?

Do you think that instead of possibly making people uncomfortable, women should have to go into private areas, such as bathrooms, to breastfeed?

Do you think that women who do so are exhibitionists? Should they just always have bottles prepared to feed their child when out and about?

You don't have to stick to these questions, I'm just interested in people's opinions on the subject in general.

1. No.
2. Yes.
3. No.

Breasts need to stop being seen as genitals dammit. They're not, they're secondary sexual characteristics with a very specific purpose of feeding babies. The fact that people find them hot(and I myself consider myself a boobguy) is irrelevant to stuff like this. People need to unpucker their butts about this.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

I think they need to be a bit more considerate to people around them aka not when in a restaurant. Its ok in public as people can ignore you and walk past.

 

[K12]

I don't get why people are uncomfortable (and sometimes weirdly hostile) about this, I for one find it really cute. People can't help feeling uncomfortable about things I suppose but my sympathies are always going to tend towards the hungry baby and his/her mum than it will with passers-by who are offended by tits.

As long as she isn't breastfeeding her teenage children then I think it's more of an imposition to complain to the mother than it is for her to be breastfeeding.

 

[Brennan]

And yes, breast feeding is natural and nonsexual. You know what else is natural and nonsexual (to me)? Urinating, but I don't want to see a woman squat down on a lawn and take a piss either.

As many people bring up during the breastfeeding argument, pissing is natural so why don't we do that in public. The reason why you cant pee in public is because men can pee. Only women can breast feed, which lets them fallaciously link it to women's rights/women's choice. If men produced milk and fed babies the same way women do, public breastfeeding could be labeled inappropriate and regulated to private places like bathrooms.

Breastfeeding a baby is one of the most natural things you can do.

So is also a lot of other things like urinating or having sex.

All of these have to do with bodily functions and they would all gross me out seeing others do in public.

Taking a shit is also natural but I don't drop one in the middle of the street or on a train do I?

I think the urination comparison is an attempt to point out that 'natural & non-sexual' is not a valid arguing point. I would've gone with coughing as a comparison. Also, no matter what it is... its sexual to somebody.

Long and short of it is: if its legal (and even if it isn't) I just deal with it. But you've gotta put up with my harmless but loud persistent cough in exchange.

Hokay, sorry for the miltiquote, but this has to be pointed out. The reasons why going to the bathroom in public and breastfeeding in public are stigmatized as "gross" are apples and oranges to each other in ways that should be obvious. Trying to make an "if A then B" comparison between the two makes it look like you're deliberately avoiding thinking your position through.

Crapping and/or pissing in public is stigmatized as gross because it's massively unsanitary. You're depositing a big, nasty, health risky mess in a place where other people have to deal with it and continue to deal with it after you're gone. There is a very good reason why latrines placed separate from common areas is a universal feature of all but the most backward of societies, both modern and historical. In a modern society there's also the implication that the person doing it probably isn't wiping, and definitely isn't washing, and therefore is in general someone you don't want to physically interact with even when they aren't crapping/pissing.

And before you say "bodily fluids" about the latter point: piss and shit are produced by the body because they are wastes and toxins your body needs to get rid of. Not wanting to come in contact with them, either others' or your own, makes sense because stuff the body needs to get rid of is obviously stuff you don't want to reintroduce to the body. Milk is produced by the body for literally the exact opposite purpose: to nourish and promote the health of another human.

From a sanitation perspective, you are literally better off shaking hands with someone who just finished breastfeeding an infant than someone who just finished licking BBQ sauce off their fingers. Which brings us back to the "it's eating" point others have said: rationally all the things that make breastfeeding "gross" would apply equally or more to eating. If you object to public breastfeeding on sanitation grounds, then to not object to public eating in general for the same reasons would be intellectually dishonest.

Breastfeeding is stigmatized as "gross" because our specific family of cultures has convinced itself that breasts are intrinsically sexual regardless of context, and that that's a bad thing regardless of context. Thus boobs = inappropriate, and contexts which conflict with sexuality are perceived as jarringly paraphilic rather than simply nonsexual. Also because we've somehow detached human milk from the concept of "food" and falsely reclassified it in the same context as things like blood or piss or semen. This despite us happily consuming non-human dairy as food, and the fact that dairy in general is one of the only foods in nature which actually exists to be a food, as opposed to being another organism trying to exist in it's own right before being suborned as food by another organism.

TL/DR: being grossed out by people pissing/crapping in public has a solid practical basis independent of cultural mores/views. Being grossed out by breastfeeding in public is just a cultural artifact, and ultimately an internally inconsistent one.

 

[karloss01]

How often do women do so without covering themselves? Maybe its just how people handle it where I live but in public I normally just see this.

But maybe ladies just whip in other cities? Either way it wouldn't bother me. A baby has to eat. Unless you are staring you won't see nipple, and the babies head covers a fair bit from a casual glance. I think some people are more comfortable with seeing a woman it a itty bitty bikini top than seeing her feed her child.

My teacher just whipped her tits out when she decided to breast feed, didn't even try to obscure the process just full on boob in the classroom. yet I was the only one who thought that was weird, rest of the class were female (this was in high school in citizenship).

but yes, I have a problem because I'm not the one feeding from them no I don't have a problem with it.

 

[Mr.Petey]

Eh it's up to them if they choose to feed their baby in public. That's what I primarily see it as anyway, as it is just nature at work. I grew up in a fairly prude family, so my growing up has instilled in me some slight embarrassment over naked female breasts, but when it comes to this I'm pretty nonplussed.

I do recall one time I was at a friend's place sitting on the rug in front of the the tv and my friend's sister was sat on the sofa with her baby. Her mother (baby's grandma) came in too and said "Uh Peter don't turn around okay?" with amusement in her tone and then I heard a series of noises that indicated she was using a breast pump.

First time around it felt a bit odd to hear that, as it's not something I'm used to on a day-to-day basis. But over the course of my stay there she did it a number of times and I adapted to it, simple as that. She obviously felt comfortable enough with me around her and the baby.

But I digress as usual. I don't really see it as distracting or embarrassing really, even in close proximity. The mother would have to be sat in my lap breastfeeding a baby for it to be slightly awkward, as random as that sounds but my point stands. Just leave 'em to it

 

[Musette]

I remember being asked directions by a woman while she was breastfeeding several years ago and while it made me uncomfortable at the time, I think that had more to do with the fact that I just didn't tend to see it happen often in public.

Overall, I'm fine with people breastfeeding in public, since it's hard to control when a baby is hungry, and many people feel strongly about what they feed their children, especially that early in the child's life. It's still a bizarre sight for me because I don't see it often, but I would never judge a person negatively solely because of something like that.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

The obvious solution is male lactation.

 

[Erttheking]

All I know is that if I see a bare breast, I'm going to stare at it. Staring at tits is a human thing, not just something men do. It's usually the woman breastfeeding who feels uncomfortable from being stared at. Not sure if my being a woman makes them feel more or less awkward though.

Not sure where you're getting this from. Besides, as a concept, staring is just rude. You really shouldn't do it.

 

[Barbas]

All I know is that if I see a bare breast, I'm going to stare at it. Staring at tits is a human thing, not just something men do. It's usually the woman breastfeeding who feels uncomfortable from being stared at. Not sure if my being a woman makes them feel more or less awkward though.

Not sure where you're getting this from. Besides, as a concept, staring is just rude. You really shouldn't do it.

It's so rare here that if someone (let's assume a female someone for now) were breastfeeding in public, I'd probably stare for a few seconds in confusion before realizing "oops, I'm looking at boobs" and look away. That's probably just me, though...thank goodness.

Does it make you feel uncomfortable when you see a woman breastfeeding her child in a public area? If so, does it always make you uncomfortable or is it okay provided that her breasts are completely covered?

Maybe a little bit. It doesn't happen nearly often enough that I've been able to measure my reaction(...)

I misread that the first time as "erection", not "reaction". Whatever the intention, I certainly hope you find a discreet place to handle matters like a gentleman.

OT: It still makes me feel a little uncomfortable to see, but I've gotten used to odder things and that tiny human needs to be fed or it'll explode or whatever the ads say. It's gotta be done. Besides, breastfeeding in public doesn't mean the woman concerned is going to just cast her babylons out on display like a Valkyrie in a bordello.

[small][sub]Oh Jesus I need to go to bed...[/sub][/small]

 

[Callate]

Does it make you feel uncomfortable when you see a woman breastfeeding her child in a public area? If so, does it always make you uncomfortable or is it okay provided that her breasts are completely covered?

Alternatively, do you just see it as something natural and non-sexual, something women should be free to do whenever and wherever they please?

Why is this an either-or?

Women breastfeeding in public can make me uncomfortable, because I grew up in a culture that goes batshit insane about the sight of a bared breast.

And that discomfort is absolutely no reason that women shouldn't be able to do something that is natural and non-sexual, not to mention very important to the health and well-being of their infant.

As with so many issues, someone's discomfort is a damn poor indicator that something should cease to exist.

...Though I will gently suggest that children should be weaned before they can communicate a desire to breastfeed in complete sentences.

 

[Caiphus]

I misread that the first time as "erection", not "reaction". Whatever the intention, I certainly hope you find a discreet place to handle matters like a gentleman.

Haha. Well, as I spellchecked my post, the same thing happened to me. "Did I write erection? No... not this time. God I wonder if anyone else will mis-read that" . And you did. I'm glad I could provide that.

But yeah. Next time I see a woman breastfeeding I'll just whip my ruler out. And then I'll get a tape measure out and let you know.

 

[Lt. Rocky]

Boobs or not, the most important thing to remember about the whole procedure is that it shuts the baby up, returning peace to the public.

Young mothers, I may not like the fact you had to bring the baby with you, but I appreciate that you're doing your part in keeping them quiet. And well-fed too, of course.

 

[-Dragmire-]

The only public breast feeding I've seen have had the breasts covered. This never bothered me in the slightest.

Had they have been uncovered, I doubt I would mind either but since it's never happened in my experience, I can't say for sure.

I wonder if a woman were to breastfeed uncovered at a business, if the business would choose to enforce the no shirt, no shoes - no service policy. There is an equal rights topless policy in my city but that doesn't affect how businesses choose to restrict people based on the lack of clothing.

 

[RealRT]

Boobs or not, the most important thing to remember about the whole procedure is that it shuts the baby up, returning peace to the public.

Young mothers, I may not like the fact you had to bring the baby with you, but I appreciate that you're doing your part in keeping them quiet. And well-fed too, of course.

That's a fresh perspective, if I ever saw one. You know, you are actually right, why doesn't anyone consider this bit?

 

[otakon17]

And yes, breast feeding is natural and nonsexual. You know what else is natural and nonsexual (to me)? Urinating, but I don't want to see a woman squat down on a lawn and take a piss either.

As many people bring up during the breastfeeding argument, pissing is natural so why don't we do that in public. The reason why you cant pee in public is because men can pee. Only women can breast feed, which lets them fallaciously link it to women's rights/women's choice. If men produced milk and fed babies the same way women do, public breastfeeding could be labeled inappropriate and regulated to private places like bathrooms.

Breastfeeding a baby is one of the most natural things you can do.

So is also a lot of other things like urinating or having sex.

All of these have to do with bodily functions and they would all gross me out seeing others do in public.

Taking a shit is also natural but I don't drop one in the middle of the street or on a train do I?

I think the urination comparison is an attempt to point out that 'natural & non-sexual' is not a valid arguing point. I would've gone with coughing as a comparison. Also, no matter what it is... its sexual to somebody.

Long and short of it is: if its legal (and even if it isn't) I just deal with it. But you've gotta put up with my harmless but loud persistent cough in exchange.

Hokay, sorry for the miltiquote, but this has to be pointed out. The reasons why going to the bathroom in public and breastfeeding in public are stigmatized as "gross" are apples and oranges to each other in ways that should be obvious. Trying to make an "if A then B" comparison between the two makes it look like you're deliberately avoiding thinking your position through.

Crapping and/or pissing in public is stigmatized as gross because it's massively unsanitary. You're depositing a big, nasty, health risky mess in a place where other people have to deal with it and continue to deal with it after you're gone. There is a very good reason why latrines placed separate from common areas is a universal feature of all but the most backward of societies, both modern and historical. In a modern society there's also the implication that the person doing it probably isn't wiping, and definitely isn't washing, and therefore is in general someone you don't want to physically interact with even when they aren't crapping/pissing.

And before you say "bodily fluids" about the latter point: piss and shit are produced by the body because they are wastes and toxins your body needs to get rid of. Not wanting to come in contact with them, either others' or your own, makes sense because stuff the body needs to get rid of is obviously stuff you don't want to reintroduce to the body. Milk is produced by the body for literally the exact opposite purpose: to nourish and promote the health of another human.

From a sanitation perspective, you are literally better off shaking hands with someone who just finished breastfeeding an infant than someone who just finished licking BBQ sauce off their fingers. Which brings us back to the "it's eating" point others have said: rationally all the things that make breastfeeding "gross" would apply equally or more to eating. If you object to public breastfeeding on sanitation grounds, then to not object to public eating in general for the same reasons would be intellectually dishonest.

Breastfeeding is stigmatized as "gross" because our specific family of cultures has convinced itself that breasts are intrinsically sexual regardless of context, and that that's a bad thing regardless of context. Thus boobs = inappropriate, and contexts which conflict with sexuality are perceived as jarringly paraphilic rather than simply nonsexual. Also because we've somehow detached human milk from the concept of "food" and falsely reclassified it in the same context as things like blood or piss or semen. This despite us happily consuming non-human dairy as food, and the fact that dairy in general is one of the only foods in nature which actually exists to be a food, as opposed to being another organism trying to exist in it's own right before being suborned as food by another organism.

TL/DR: being grossed out by people pissing/crapping in public has a solid practical basis independent of cultural mores/views. Being grossed out by breastfeeding in public is just a cultural artifact, and ultimately an internally inconsistent one.

Thank you! I knew SOMEONE would bring up defecation/urination as a counter point and you bashed it down as a proper reason most magnificently. Good show, I was going to say something along these lines myself but I'm not eloquent enough to do so, but you did marvelously.

 

[QuietlyListening]

I still find it strange that people get so bent out of shape over boobs.