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Original poster

Picture of breastfeeding on magazine cover causes outrage in US

93 replies

melpomene · 30/07/2006 09:11

CNN article

Babytalk, a US parenting magazine, put a picture of a breastfeeding baby on the cover, and received hundreds of letters complaining.

"'Gross, I am sick of seeing a baby attached to a boob,' wrote Lauren, a mother of a 4-month-old."

Another mother said that she shredded the magazine to avoid the risk of her 13 year old son seeing it.

OP posts:
Callisto · 30/07/2006 11:36

I have just emailed them to approve of the cover picture.

FlameSparrow · 30/07/2006 11:51

Oh Its a lovely picture.

FairyMum · 30/07/2006 11:54

I wonder if you wouldn't get similar reactions if you put this picture on the cover of baby magazine in this country? At least it would have to be on the top shelf I think.

Caribbeanqueen · 30/07/2006 11:55

It is a lovely picture.

"I don't want my son or husband to accidentally see a breast they didn't want to see."

So it's ok if they look at porn mags because they actively want to see breasts then, but if they happen to see a breastfeeding woman then that will somehow scar them for life?

ruty · 30/07/2006 12:11

I think this kind of mentality is at the heart of what is wrong with America right now.
It is a beautiful picture too. And loved the one of LL.

mummyhill · 30/07/2006 12:18

Mag front id beatiful and the pic of Linda is lovely too.

Its such a shame that they are so puritanical over in the states.

mummyhill · 30/07/2006 12:21

Calisto - Whats the email address maybe we could all send the aproval and support?

SpaceCadet · 30/07/2006 12:29

mummyhill-email address here [email protected]
what a sad state of affairs when people are shocked by a breastfeeding infant, maybe in some way this is down to our society for sexuallising breasts so much that they cant be viewed in any other context.

morocco · 30/07/2006 12:31

wasn't so keen on the photo myself - I'd have prefered something more 'discreet' on the breast side of things. It just doesn't seem necessary - I guess women's bodies are used to shift copies of magazines even when they're not sexualised images.
Can't imagine it ending up on the top shelf in our newsagents though - you see more nudity on the front page of some newspapers

VeniVidiVickiQV · 30/07/2006 12:35

Morocco, do you mind if I ask....what do you think when you see a womans cleavage (that has been enhanced with wonderbra/uplifting bra?

It's just, from my POV, you can't see any more of the womans breast than you would do on a night out in town/day trip to the beach.

Am genuinely interested.

CorrieDale · 30/07/2006 13:06

lovely pictures both of them. And while it seems to me that there is nothing on this earth that cannot be shifted with the aid of a naked woman's body, and that the sight of topless models on the front of newspapers is a bloody national disgrace, only partly because it sets back the bf cause with every edition (IMrantyO), I'd be delighted to see either of these pictures on every billboard in the land. The one of Xena made me want to cry!!! WHEN do these hormones finally settle down?

SpaceCadet · 30/07/2006 13:11

i get very angry at reactions to breast feeding, all mammals feed their young themselves why is it not acceptable for humans to do so?
thats what they were put there for first and foremost, i cant beleive the attitudes of some people, ive quite often found that its younger people that are more prudish towards breast feeding.they say breast is best, yet on recently one woman was reported to police for indecent exposure and moved on by a police man!

Caligula · 30/07/2006 13:11

I've written a supportive e-mail to that mag.

Jeez, the Americans are even more fucked up than we are about this issue aren't they? What's the matter with them?

ruty · 30/07/2006 13:21

don't really see how it could have been more discreet!

LaDiDaDi · 30/07/2006 13:38

It's such a cute picture and so sad that people can't see it as such. America's a bit mad sometimes imho.

quootiepie · 30/07/2006 14:01

what a beautiful picture... its not even showing alot, just a bit of skin like an arm, cheek, leg... its so silly

quootiepie · 30/07/2006 14:05

"I shredded it," said Gayle Ash, of Belton, Texas, in a telephone interview. "A breast is a breast -- it's a sexual thing. He didn't need to see that."

a sexual thing???? oh for f*cks sake!!

Callisto · 30/07/2006 15:22

I wish we all had gayle ash's email address to spam her with pictures of bfing women...

FairyMum · 30/07/2006 15:37

I think Misdee needs to pay a visit to Texas on her US breastfeeding tour

Mind you, I think there would have been reactions to this cover in this country too and especially from those people who'd read at least one "news"paper with bikini-girls in it.....

giddy1 · 30/07/2006 16:11

Message deleted

AttilaTheMeerkat · 31/07/2006 07:43

Nowt wrong with that picture - the baby is feeding fgs!!. Perfectly natural.

Many Americans are far more prudish than we British people are when it comes to nudity. The religious right in the US is a very powerful force. America is by it's very nature a germanic society with lots of rules relating to all sorts of things (some of which would not necessarily be seen here. Best example of this I ever came across was the sign by the pool that said Only One Bounce on the Diving Board. And it was enforced).

LeahE · 31/07/2006 07:52

In defense of the Americans, their extended breastfeeding rates are far far better than ours (I'm a bit vague on the breastfeeding rates for younger babies but think they are roughly comparable). They just have their quota of nutters the same way we do...

SueW · 31/07/2006 08:01

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

schneebly · 31/07/2006 08:02

I think it is a lovely picture (and love the one of lucy lawless too). It is a shame that people think of breasts as a purely sexual thing when, in fact, the purpose they are there for is to feed our babies! This is coming from a bottlefeeder(sadly)

Caligula · 31/07/2006 08:04

LeahE that's interesting. I suspect that that might be because in such a hostile climate to bf, those who do do it, will be disproportionately more well-informed and well-educated about all aspects of bf than the average bf-er in a less hostile environment and therefore, will obviously be more likely to understand the benefits of not curtailing bf-ing at an arbitrary cut-off date. (In other words, it's not something your "average" woman would do, it's a marginal activity of very well-educated women (about this issue) with a particular lifestyle. I'm not sure that is a good sign, tbh.)