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I understand that you feel breastfeeding is a unique body function, but surely you realize that it's only your feelings that make it so. In China, apparently little kids poop on the sidewalk quite a bit. They have pants split open for just that purpose, so clearly that's considered normal and natural over there. A kid's got to poop, after all, and what are you going to do? Make him poop into a diaper and then walk around with poop in his pants? Dirty, icky, gross, disgusting, ew! Or so the feelings are over there.
The thing is, a kid pooping on the sidewalk leaves poop on the sidewalk. The other functions mentioned - "defecating, urinating, vomiting, belching, farting, copulating, masturbating, clipping your toenails, changing a tampon, trying on clothing" - are things that are personal, no one is nurturing an infant by doing those things. Breastfeeding leaves a happy baby, not waste in a public place. I'm dismayed to see people equate personal hygeine to feeding a baby, there's no comparison.
People talk about women flashing their boobs, or showing boob - but how much do you see when a mom is nursing? Once she has some experience, there is usually NO exposure, or almost none.
The OP's situation sounds a little odd, actually - I wouldn't have asked permission to nurse in front of someone, I wouldn't have wanted to bring attention to what I was doing. And most people never knew. Usually only moms that had breastfed knew I was breastfeeding. I bet you're around more nursing women than you know, if you go out in public spaces, anyway.
There are plenty of things mothers do in public that I may not agree with, but breast feeding isn't one of them.
The courts have said it is legal, doctors recommend it, and mothers and babies enjoy it. So, if somebody doesn't want to witness it, the onus is on them to move, not for the mother to hide.
No it's not normal to do that in public in America. Maybe in a tribe in the Amazon.
I'm a man, and I agree totally. In AMERICA, women are fully aware that MOST men are sexually aroused by the mere sight of a woman's breast. It's the way American men are programmed and the fact that a woman has a kid suckling from her breasts doesn't change that fact or make MOST men think any differently.
I work in public transportation and my job requries me to stand directly over or in front of moms that breast feed their babies in public. And, on numerous occassions, moms have taken their breasts out directly in my presence, placed their nipples in the kids mouth, looked directly up into my eyes with a warm gently smile...and continued to breastfeed knowing that I was looking in a suggestive manner.
Hell, I try to be professional, but hell...I'm a man.
Last edited by dorado0359; 09-19-2011 at 07:32 AM..
Reason: ...
I've got no problem with discreet bfing in public, and there is a whole industry dedicated to nursing discreetly. And most women do bf discreetly when in public.
But yes, it is also legal in most states to take your entire boob out the top of your tube top to bf in public if you so choose. Its your right to do this, but you also run the risk some creepy dude will be talking about your boobs on an internet message board if you choose to exercise this right.
And I have never, not once, seen a breast feeding mom do that in a public setting. I'm sure it happens, but I'm equally sure that it is rare for a woman to whip her boob out like that. You would normally have to be staring hard at a bfing mom to even get a glimpse of her breast.
The thing that creeped me out the most about the OP's encounter was the way he offered to pull the blind - It was like he was saying "I know you're comfortable with me seeing this, but I'm sure you don't want those people to get a look." He didn't even know this woman, why was he acting like a protective lover towards her?
Consider this analogy: A certain fellow is embarrassed to use the urinals in front of other men. Because of his hang up, he always uses the stalls, with door closed. He sees a couple of guys nonchalantly using the urinals. He steps in and offers to use his jacket to shield their view of each other (why? they weren't even looking at each other!) - and suddenly, a normal, every day thing takes on a weirdness that it never had before.
I'm a man, and I agree totally. In AMERICA, women are fully aware that MOST men are sexually aroused by the mere sight of a woman's breast. It's the way American men are programmed and the fact that a woman has a kid suckling from her breasts doesn't change that fact or make MOST men think any differently.
I work in public transportation and my job requries me to stand directly over or in front of moms that breast feed their babies in public. And, on numerous occassions, moms have taken their breasts out directly in my presence, placed their nipples in the kids mouth, looked directly up into my eyes with a warm gently smile...and continued to breastfeed knowing that I was looking in a suggestive manner.
Hell, I try to be professional, but hell...I'm a man.
I'm apalled that some men have become so incapable of controlling their libido's that women cannot breastfeed in their presence. Are you suggesting the onus is on women not to tittivate men by their very presence, I mean breasts are there on display, must we try and hide them now so as not to overstimulate men who apparently are unable to keep their libido's in check?
The thing is, a kid pooping on the sidewalk leaves poop on the sidewalk. The other functions mentioned - "defecating, urinating, vomiting, belching, farting, copulating, masturbating, clipping your toenails, changing a tampon, trying on clothing" - are things that are personal, no one is nurturing an infant by doing those things. Breastfeeding leaves a happy baby, not waste in a public place. I'm dismayed to see people equate personal hygeine to feeding a baby, there's no comparison.
I understand that people have different opinions on the subject.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlotteGal
People talk about women flashing their boobs, or showing boob - but how much do you see when a mom is nursing? Once she has some experience, there is usually NO exposure, or almost none.
I'm not sure if you are talking here to me or in general, but I've said twice that nursing tops are usually discreet. Also, you seem to acknowledge that discretion (not showing much) is important. If breastfeeding is so natural and inoffensive, then why not strip to the waist? Why bother covering up at all?
Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlotteGal
The OP's situation sounds a little odd, actually - I wouldn't have asked permission to nurse in front of someone, I wouldn't have wanted to bring attention to what I was doing. And most people never knew. Usually only moms that had breastfed knew I was breastfeeding. I bet you're around more nursing women than you know, if you go out in public spaces, anyway.
I don't think you can know whether most people knew you were breastfeeding. I believe that most people may not have acknowledged it, but you don't know if they were simply ignoring you.
I'm apalled that some men have become so incapable of controlling their libido's that women cannot breastfeed in their presence. Are you suggesting the onus is on women not to tittivate men by their very presence, I mean breasts are there on display, must we try and hide them now so as not to overstimulate men who apparently are unable to keep their libido's in check?
Ridiculous.
Putting your breasts out on display for all to see and breast feeding your baby are two different things. You can do one without doing the other.
The thing is, a kid pooping on the sidewalk leaves poop on the sidewalk. The other functions mentioned - "defecating, urinating, vomiting, belching, farting, copulating, masturbating, clipping your toenails, changing a tampon, trying on clothing" - are things that are personal, no one is nurturing an infant by doing those things. Breastfeeding leaves a happy baby, not waste in a public place. I'm dismayed to see people equate personal hygeine to feeding a baby, there's no comparison.
Exactly,
and now I have yet another reason to stay away from China.
Topic? Yea, creepy dude for sure.
I was waiting for "she should have gone into the bathroom to BF" and then I'd really have gone ballistic.
Putting your breasts out on display for all to see and breast feeding your baby are two different things. You can do one without doing the other.
Ha - this made me laugh, too, mainly because on any given day, especially during warmer weather, some women wear all kinds of revealing things, yet whenever breastfeeding comes up, there are always one or two people who are horrified that there may be some breast exposure.
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