Why does the media seem to think that mums breastfeed in the nude?

[Kveta]

I had an interesting chat today where it was pointed out that pictures of breastfeeding in the news are almost always of nude/semi-clad mums holding nude babies.

There was a letter in the paper last week about it - second one down - which says

'Breastfeeding is associated in the media with the need to be nude, or to wear a soft silk blouse wide open to show a naked bosom. What normal person wants to spend months doing this in public? How many voyeurs might watch and how much offence and embarrassment might they cause?

Breastfeeding needs to be built into everyday life if it is to be successful, and this usually means doing it with clothes on and other people present. Images convey powerful subliminal messages, and ones that turn a normal human activity into an abnormal one are not helpful.'

Thought this was quite interesting, as I have only ever nursed my kids in the nude maybe 3 times (once each following their births, and DS once in a bath), and that is in 3.9 years of breastfeeding!

Umm I don't think I've ever seen a pic in the media of bf - naked or otherwise

The ones I've seen tend to bf in a crisp white shirt, like on the pregnacare breastfeeding vitamins.

Yes, they always have a shirt wide open, showing a vast expanse of chest (not necessarily breast, just a lot of skin). I've never shown any skin in public - its easy not to so why would I?

This is better but still more nipple than I like to show! www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/22/breastfeeding-best-new-mothers

Eh, I've been breastfeeding DD for 17 months and I do tend to just wap out an enormous nork and have at it. I figure if people are offended they can look elsewhere. So far no-one's ever challenged me on it.

I guess it's the same way that many pregnancy stories are accompanied by photos of bare pregnant bumps?

but yes to crisp shirts - here and nudity seen here

and that's just the Telegraph!

Struggling to see anything wrong with this photos tbh. Obviously wouldn't bf nude in public but if I'm wearing a v neck, I just flop out boob - dd ready to receive so doubt any flashing going on, but quite frankly I couldn't give a shit anyway

I had this convo with someone in charge of the children's centers, asked what the point is of showing all the pictures with a breast in view when one of the main reason against is worrying that people might see sonething

Maybe the point is to normalise bf. lets face it, breasts' main purpose is to feed babies!