It is extremely sad that breastfeeding is still seen as an act of unwanted body exposure in society. Even sadder is the fact that the debate about breastfeeding in public still continues. A woman’s body is almost always policed by the society and the social conditioning about it has been such that most people are intolerant towards breast-feeding to the extent of shaming the woman’s body. It is strange how breasts sell like crazy in magazines and Internet, but it becomes an uncomfortable sight as soon as it is exposed for breastfeeding.
In a Facebook post we found on a V agabomb article , a young mother, Ashley Kaidel, who was a victim of body-shaming for breast-feeding in public, talks about her experience. Feeling helpless and angry, she decided to channel her frustration in her Facebook post, which is going viral and is being received by many.
In her powerful post, Kaidel argues about her right to breastfeed in public and explains why she must hold on to it. She also advocates for every mother’s right to breast-feed in public, however, whenever, wherever and without being judged. S he reasons out that it’s incredibly unfair to ask a mother and her child to exclude themselves from a public place simply to breast-feed.
Earlier today I posted this picture of my son and I breastfeeding uncovered in a public restaurant. In the picture, it…
Posted by Ashley Kaidel on Tuesday, November 24, 2015
She cleverly exposes the standards society has set for a woman’s body. Ashley finishes off by noting that she’s not posting the photo for attention, but to give mothers the support they need to feel comfortable feeding their babies, however they want to.
The post signed off by ‘a badass breastfeeding (uncovered) mother’ has resonated with many and received wide support.