AIBU to be uncomfortable about this kind of breastfeeding picture posted on social media?

[Swoonforpeterbishop]

I’m not going to post the actual picture as then I’d just be getting more people to look at it but a small time influencer has posted a picture of her and her baby breastfeeding, both very clearly naked, in order to advertise some breast milk jewellery.
You can barely see the jewellery but can clearly see mum and child are naked - very flattering shot of the mother and a lovely caption about how precious breastfeeding and how the jewellery is the perfect memento.

I am perfectly prepared to be told I am being completely unreasonable but I feel uncomfortable about the picture. The child has no say over this - anyone can now view this picture of them both naked. It’s going out to thousands of random followers.

I breastfed my child, am pro normalising breastfeeding but feel like I’m this context this picture isn’t about the breastfeeding at all despite the caption.

I also feel really uncomfortable about using a picture of the child in that state to advertise the jewellery?

Maybe I’m old and out of touch and I know, I know, I should mind my business but I don’t follow her it popped up as a sponsored post on my feed and it’s bothered me.

I just think social media makes people do weird shit they wouldn't have even considered doing 10/20 years ago 🤷‍♀️ it's all cringeworthy to me.

For me this is symptomatic of the whole IG culture that sells imaginary lifestyles, holds people up to ridicule and ridiculous standards, encourages materialism and ends up with desperate people marketing their families to flog pretentious and dubious crap. It’s shallow, invasive, pervasive and crass.

I don't think people should be posting naked photos of their kids online. Influencer or not. I think a lot of people are being contrary here for the sake of it as normally this subject is pretty unanimous on MN. As is the denigration of 'influencers', so I think either this is just argument for the sake of it, or because of the mere mention of breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding jewellery, not my bag. But equally, milk isn't a 'bodily fluid', and BF can be a very special time for a lot of mothers. Especially if they have worked fucking hard to make it work. 'push presents' etc have been around for a loooong time and are fairly well accepted.

The OP clearly isn't commenting on the BF. There is a massive difference between an anonymous baby being used to advertise nappies, and a clearly identifiable child being posted naked on Insta or whatever. You'd have to be massively obtuse to deny that.

'It would have helped me immensely to see new mums breastfeeding with at least their top halves showing when I had my first, it would have made me feel a lot more confident in what my post partum body looked like, all I saw was mums who had ‘bounced back’ and were straight into bikinis'

Well if all you look at is things like IG no wonder. Plenty of bf support sites that are more realistic.

As I said - it's not new. There were similar pictures on billboards 50yrs ago!

To those bothered by the nudity of the woman or child - are you similarly bothered by lingerie adverts, baby lotion adverts, nappy adverts? What about those children being naked or semi naked and fully in the public eye?

There's a massive difference between Insta and a billboard!

Oh FGS! Yeah such a natural breastfeeding position and location 😜 Poor kid!

@JaniieJones

'It would have helped me immensely to see new mums breastfeeding with at least their top halves showing when I had my first, it would have made me feel a lot more confident in what my post partum body looked like, all I saw was mums who had ‘bounced back’ and were straight into bikinis'

Well if all you look at is things like IG no wonder. Plenty of bf support sites that are more realistic.

I didn’t even have Instagram then, but yeah blame me 😂

To play devils advocate, if someone was sat on a bench breastfeeding their child in public, in the nude, I'm sure they would be in trouble for indecent exposure.

Maybe I dont get the rules, but why is it different posting nude pics of yourself on a public forum?

And no, I'm not some old prude. I just don't understand where the boundary comes in of "no I wouldn't do that in public, but I'll sure as hell do it online for my followers". Makes no sense. I have no time for IG and never use it.

@Dontbesoridiculous

Omg wtaf is breast milk jewellery or a breast feeding journey I feel so darn old right now

Indeed. What next - meconium jewellery?

Oh sorry yes I didn’t see that one only the daisy one earlier, it’s the black and white one.

I wasn’t going to post it but since it’s been posted, that’s the one

Poo and breast milk, sure, I see the similarity

@TheresAnEyeInMeSoup

To play devils advocate, if someone was sat on a bench breastfeeding their child in public, in the nude, I'm sure they would be in trouble for indecent exposure.

Maybe I dont get the rules, but why is it different posting nude pics of yourself on a public forum?

And no, I'm not some old prude. I just don't understand where the boundary comes in of "no I wouldn't do that in public, but I'll sure as hell do it online for my followers". Makes no sense. I have no time for IG and never use it.

I think you can’t show nipples, your vagina or a penis on social media.

@Nottoday1 yes exactly it’s a beautiful photo and I didn’t want to start a campaign against her at all, but I really wouldn’t share that to thousands of strangers on the internet

@Fembot123

So what’s worse to you knickers or no

Well, naked is worse to me because its entirely inappropriate for social media, but knickers are a very close second. I don't wish to see either.

I actually have to apologise here to the woman in question I don’t think she’s actually selling the jewellery now, I think she’s maybe bought it herself so she’s not using her child to sell the product as I initially thought - there’s no AD marked on the post so I was incorrect there and if I could edit my initial post I would.
That was my misinterpretation.

My feelings about the picture remain the same though!

Jewellery made out of breast milk .

What upsets you about it @Hallyup5

[quote Swoonforpeterbishop]@Nottoday1 yes exactly it’s a beautiful photo and I didn’t want to start a campaign against her at all, but I really wouldn’t share that to thousands of strangers on the internet[/quote]
I can’t see that anyone here is trying to campaign against her.

@Fembot123 nobody is :) but my reservations about posting it initially were 1) I didn’t want to give it more views and 2) I was worried that people might start picking the influencer apart. So many threads in here about influencers have descended into pretty much campaigning against them and that wasn’t the point of this post.
Happy to say nobody has done that here :)

That wouldn’t be your responsibility, we are adults and that is an image freely available for all to find so try not to worry. I would agree that I’m impressed with how this thread has gone, discussion without being shitty to each other. Saturday morning vibes maybe 😁

I agree with you. This is not about the normalization of breasts and breast-feeding. This is once again about the commodification and sexualization of women's breasts.

"Breasts are used to sell absolutely everything."
Jean Killbourne - Killing Us Softly.

Who sits stark naked on their hall floor taking photos at the best of times???

Yes we have nudity in ads etc but those are anonymous models not children who haven't a say in it. If I took photos of me and my child naked and posted them on sm for the world to see my friends and family would think I had lost the plot. I don't get this intrusive culture on IG. Why can't people have a private life?

The issue should be with 'influencing'. They'll exploit any angle because it's vacuous advertising. Don't give them an audience.