Embarrassed by breastfeeding in a country of billboards covered in tits?

[SidDithers]

Seen at scienceblogs:
http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2013/07/06/embarrassed-by-breastfeeding-in-a-country-of-billboards-covered-with-tits/

Spoken word from a mom who's had enough of having to feed her child in toilet stall.

This is a righteous rant.

Her comments about the video:

I wrote this poem in a public toilet after my 6 month old baby fell asleep. I was in town on my own a lot with her and the first time I fed her someone commented that I should stay home. Baby's need breastfed every 2-3 hours often. It's impossible to run home. It's a stupid argument anyway. But I was embarrassed and for 6 months took her into toilets when I was alone without the support of boyfriend, friends, mum etc. I hate that I did that but I was nervous, tired and felt awkward. And now I find it weird that our TVs, media etc never show breastfeeding in soaps, cartoons, anything. That we and the US are so bloody scared of it. It's weird. I find our culture weird and even weirder, when people are so strapped for cash. It is costing parents a huge amount of money paying for something which most of us, those of us who are lucky enough for our bodies to do so, get for free. I have a lot of mates who complain they're broke but stop breastfeeding cos they feel awkward, and pay for formula. Why are we paying billionaire companies for something our bodies produce for FREE. It's really good marketing that we feel so wrong doing something like this I think. And it makes me sadder every day. Next we'll be buying sweat in bottles from Tescos and rubbing it on our skin paying for electronic books to read nighttime stories. Oh, wait...

Sid

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Are you using "tits" in you OP subject line for shock value?

[SidDithers]

2. No, I'm copying the title from the post at scienceblogs...

which is referencing a phrase repeated by the poet in the spoken word video.

You didn't watch it, eh?

Sid

[zappaman]

3. the word "tits" is shocking?

to who?

[Cooley Hurd]

4. It can be sexist. Of course, all has to be taken in context.

[lumpy]

8. Bullshit... Women have been using the term for centuries. Matter of fact they

probably invented it. Not sexist.

[Cooley Hurd]

11. No, it's sexist depending on the context.

[TransitJohn]

15. Right. And the word ass is, depending on the context, as well.

[Ron Green]

5. That's what's on the billboards. Tits.

To sell crap to the tits-focused demographic.

[trumad]

13. For God Sakes

[randome]

6. And well-spoken she is.

You can see more provocative images in your local grocery store checkout lane.

I wonder if the taboo against women being topless was dropped, then men's prurient interest in boobs might also drop. Eventually, anyways.

[hr]
[font color="blue"][center]The truth doesn’t always set you free.
Sometimes it builds a bigger cage around the one you’re already in.[/center][/font]
[hr]

[cliffordu]

17. Probably not in my lifetime.....

Or, hopefully, maybe.

[Eleanors38]

18. Perhaps preoccupation with tits will "drop," so men can better focus on

the Big Butt.


In some societies this is seen as the proper reserve of sexuality as it relates to choosing partners with suitable reproduction cues.

[lumpy]

7. Her point is well taken. This country is tit happy and getting to be a worn out

attention grabber. Time to change to butt worshiping ? Or how about pubic hair ?
Women who choose to breast feed should not hide it; most women would be willing to support those mothers who choose to do so.

[RC]

9. Agreeing with something Sid posted?

is the world coming to?

We are such a prudish country. We deny our own animal roots.

Think of the children? That suckling baby is a child. There should be nothing obscene in feeding our children in public, even if they are too young to sit up.

[whatchamacallit]

10. I know

The End of Days is nigh!

[woolldog]

12. Agreed. It shouldn't be a big deal

Not sure why the people in this video seem to have such a problem with it.

[GreenStormCloud]

14. Hilarious. N/T

[treestar]

16. That is a good point

Especially now, as it seems low cut tops are in style.

I'm tempted to make some feminist-sounding generalization, like, if it's for men's enjoyment, it's OK, but if for babies, gross - maybe that's how they see it.