Is there a link between the declining rate of breastfeeding and the normalisation of porn?

[Lio]

I've been mulling this over for a while but need to hear what others have to say as I'm not getting very far on my own.

The thread where crystalpony said that the thought of breastfeeding her children repulsed her (here ) was an eye-opener for me. Mears says on this thread that there are a lot of women who find the thought of breastfeeding repulsive (for the record, crystalpony said she didn't find it repulsive that other people breastfeed their babies, just that the idea of her breastfeeding her own was repulsive - I don't want to re-ignite anything).

Then I was again taken aback by the thread where a lot of MN-ers said they would post topless for a lads' mag for £50k (here )

Plenty of things on Mumsnet, such as this brilliant post from Monkeytrousers (sat 15 April, 18:05:36) had led me to assume (dangerous!) that the prevailing attitude towards lads' mags was that they were not a good thing, so I was surprised to read so many people saying they would consider being photographed for one.

So then I was wondering if there is any link between these two shifting attitudes towards breasts. It would be helpful to know whether women in earlier generations have felt that breastfeeding is repulsive, either in general or for them in particular. Anyone know a midwife/bf counsellor old enough to know about this?

I have tried googling this to see what (if anything) has been written about it, but once you type in 'porn' you get a bit swamped.

Before I go to bed, thanks to divastrop for the link and Aefondkiss for the comment - one reason for pondering this alone is that I didn't want to start a controversial thread that upset people and challenged me to defend something I haven't come to any conclusions on. I think it is prob also tied up with my reservations about the porn industry - I like kama's measured attitude to porn but my guess (assumptions again!) is that it is not the norm.

I like Kama's points and her handjob/essay writing analogy.After all,aren't we always banging on about multi tasking??

The mother being told to clear off in the cafe where somoene was smoking goes to show how fast things can change though doesn't it?
Smoking is now seen as such a despicable thing yet 15 years ago my dh (non smoking) shared a tiny office with a chainsmoker with no complaints.

I remember in my gap year job processing housing arrears (my glittering career!) having a smouldering fag by my side as I sat at my little plastic booth.

Crystal,I can't give you any precise referenes but I do know that b/feeding rates much much lower in lower socio-economic communities.

Tiktok,that 88% breastfeeding take up rate in England is impressive!

my dp made an interesting comment last night when i was readind through this thread and thinking aloud,he said 'wtf has breastfeeding got to do with porn?' he didnt get how the 2 subjects could even be in the same thread,as feeding babies is what breast are for.he seems to be able to seperate the feeding from the sexual side,maybe men just have that ability?

like somebody said(something similar)if men only saw fanjos as where the baby comes out rather than also a sexual thing,then nobody would have more than one child.

Look, I don't want to shock anyone, but there are thriving corners of the internet concerned with 'lactation porn' - where devotees certainly mix up sex and breastfeeding.

And another thing (not lactation porn!) - we use lips and mouths for talking, as well as part of a sexual relationship. No one says we should only ever talk in private

anyhoo.....porn has many varying degrees

i think it is the sexualisation of breasts on page 3 and in lads mags, rather than in hardcore pornography, that is possibly more to blame for the treatment of breasts as playthings for men and sexual objects only

also, i imagine that one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries to have is a breast enlargement...we are at a stage where society is saying that our femininity and desirability is dependent on a firm, pert pair of breasts, and maybe some women choose not to breastfeed as they believe it will ruin their norks?

Yes Lulu! I have spoken to a couple of younger colleagues at work who didn't want to breastfeed because 'eveything would head south'. I tried to put 'em right of course

thin pregnancy itself does an awful lot to your norks anyway ! alright jilly?

Yuk Tictok!

To offer a male perspective, although I naturally still find Mrs Gee 72's breasts very attractive (perhaps even at their peak), I just rather wistfully think they're out of bounds at the moment.

Nature can be cruel...

i am famliliar with lactation porn and have read many things about women re-lactating so as to make bf their oh part of the sexual relationship.i find it a bit strange but i suppose its the same as any other fetish..

what i meant in my post of yesterday,though i didnt put it very well,is i would question whether the popularity of lads' mags and page 3 is a result of the decline in bf in the 60's and 70's.

i find it sad that somebody would choose not to bf cos they are worried about their boobs drooping...tell her from me that not bf doesnt make any difference,its the pregnancy itself that turns them into long,saggy sock-looking thigs

Not meaning to pry Mr Gee,but are they totally out of bounds?????

(Omg,I can't believe I am asking a strange chap on t'internet about his wife's breasts.....)

Not meaning to pry Mr Gee,but are they totally out of bounds?????

(Omg,I can't believe I am asking a strange chap on t'internet about his wife's breasts.....)

I've a friend who's adamant that she's not going to bf. She sees her breasts as sexual and not something for a baby.
Although she has no children yet, I'm pretty sure she won't change her mind, principally though I think her attitude has more to do with the fact that her own mother didn't bf which is influencing her.

Personally my mother didn't bf me (wasn't done in those days), she did bf my siblings though, and I come from a culture where bf is considered the norm, and people assume thats what you'll be doing (or giving a go).....

Not only that, moondog, but asking twice

I'm a forward kind of gal.

Oi, less of the 'strange', Moondog.

Junior won't let me near them anyway...

No one I knew in RL had BF before I had DD1, I had never seen anyone BF it just wasn't the "done thing" in our family !?

Anyway this made me even more determined to BF being told that no one else had done it and not to even bother trying made me so angry. People couldn't believe that a woman could feed a baby for 6 months with her boobs alone wtf?

My brother especially would leave the room if her realised I was feeding (most of the time he wouldn't even realise) I think he thought I would be sitting there both norks out and the thought of seeing his sisters norks was too much for him. I think his immature brain couldn't handles norks being used for feeding babies.