Never before posted on any feeding discussions. Generally, I feel that it's awful that stuff has become so commercialised that we are sold things like water in bottles, and breastmilk-substitutes. I mean it is fantastic that bottled water is available in certain situations, and the same counts for formula. But why should it be normal and accepted as standard that we pay someone for those things? That said, I also dislike how FFers are made to feel guilty. It is generally not their fault that things are how they are.
Ok regarding the showing of breast while feeding: I had such a situation (and I agree they are rare) recently. It wasn't exactly public: It was at a dining table in someone's home. DSil pushed up her top on one side, pushed up her bra over her breast, and then asked her DH to pass the baby over to her (baby was at the other end of the room). Her DH was distracted by their other child and didn't hear the request. After a while - maybe 30 seconds? - SIL repeated her request, and with some shuffling about, it was a crowded room, the baby got to her and started feeding. In the mean time, SIL was sitting there, at the head of the table as it were, one breast fully exposed. This was in SIL's MIL's home. Present were her her DH, her brother, me, her father, her mother, her MIL, two babies and a toddler.
I admit the situation made me feel a bit uncomfortable. NOT the seeing of her breast; I have no problem with that, am currently BFing too, do not find breasts offensive (but do find it disturbing that sexualised nakedness is fine for tabloid newspapers). So why did it make me feel uncomfortable? I think it is because it was unusual to me, raising the question of why. Did she want to make a statement, perhaps towards her father? ('see here dad, there's nothing wrong with showing a naked breast, don't be so stiff - and btw I couldn't care less if I make you feel uncomfortable')(on reflection, I think this is the most likely explanation) perhaps towards me? ('look, SIL, when you BF discreetly as you do, you are really being quite prude'). Not knowing why she acted in this uncommon way, I didn't know what was the socially expected reaction - did she expect people to look away? Did she expect people to behave as normal and pretend she wasn't showing a breast? Did she want to see if anyone was embarrassed? Was she trying to provoke a reaction? I suppose that in a different setting, I might just have asked her. But as things with the ILs are a bit tense, I was working on getting the evening over with as little friction as possible, and so not knowing what this situation was all about and what was expected, made me feel uncomfortable. Not intensely so, but enough to reflect on it later and wonder what it was all about.
So, after all that, I guess my point is short: Feeling uncomfortable in such an admittedly rare situation does not necessarily mean someone is uncomfortable with seeing a naked breast or has issues with BF. It might just mean that they were momentarily thrown by the uncommon-ness of it and for a moment struggled to find their social bearings.
And something else: Am currently 'not stopping yet' and have enjoyed this thread for the encouragement it gave me for continuing the 'not stopping yet'.