AAAARGH, drives me crazy, reading this sort of dross from women who should know better...

[DarrellRivers]

Am reading my mother's Good Housekeeping magazine today.
Can't find a link to the article but it is the letter from the editor, Louise Chunn,at the beginning of the September 2007 issue.
She starts by describing that 90% of women in Uk wear the wrong sized bra etc etc, and then moves onto the complex relationship between women and their breasts.
This thinking is hot on the heels of the law being passed to protect breast feeding mothers in public, ie not being allowed to ask them to stop.
Then goes on to say
'As I've formerly breastfed 3 babies, I might be expected to support the new law. But , on examination , I'm deeply ambivalent.Discreet, low key feeding in a public place has always been tolerated, but in-your-face, milky-breast-baring is not the same thing at all.
I don't care how many women say they think it's fine; we have to take on board that, because breasts are associated with sex, breast feeding does make many men uncomfortable.'

I felt sickened that women continually to think it normal that breasts when breastfeeding infants, should be discreet.
Sometimes it is not, sometimes it is.
It makes me cross to think that when feeding my babies I should feel sensitive to those poor embarassed men.
Don't normally get ranty on mumsnet, but needed to share my irritation,and FGS , you'd think such a rag as Good Housekeeping would be a little more up to date.
I felt like I was reading something written by an old fashioned MIL.
What do people think?

Also, though most women would prefer to bf discreetly, if you have large norks and a wriggly baby you will often end of 'baring your milky breasts' in public. Doesn't bother me. Shouldn't bother anyone else.

Having said that, I don;t bf DS (10 mo) in public much now, cos he only feeds in the day before a nap (once or twice at the most) and is usually too nosy while we're out to pay attention!

Yes, you know women only ever breastfeed their babies because secretly they want to frighten men with their nipples

The world is full of in your face breasts - in newspapers, magazine, adverts, Jordan never bloody puts them away, yet it's only the breasts with babies attached that ever upset anyone. The person who said it is the sucking that upsets certain freaks is absolutely bang on.

Also, how many women actively choose to expose themselves while bfing?

Most prefer, for their own sakes, to cover up if they can but there are times when you can't (when nosy parker baby is craning her neck to look at lady at the next table or when struggling to latch on).

Who are these mystery breast flaunters who love nothing more than to go up to the nearest 18 year old boy in front of his friends and thrust a milky boob in his direction just because they feel like flaunting themselves? If breasts are visible it's because someone is trying to get a baby fed.

There's nothing to see. Show's over, people. Move along.

Prettybird - I feel a "disappointed and outraged" letter to the editor coming on too. If that's her opinion, well fine. It's the insinuation that men are pathetic little creatures that need to be protected and that we women should think of them ahead of our babies' nutrition that makes me wonder.

margoandjerry - love the idea of "mystery breast flaunters". Great name for a band.

"In a magazine such as GH, which purports to support the best for women, it disappoints me greatly to see such a craven subeservicne to the poor, unreconsituted men who have not been able to grasp that breasts actually have a practical purpose and are not their merely for their titivation.

The sooner that all women see that breastfeeding is a normal activity and does not need to be hidden away, the sooner the shocking rates of breastfeeding in this country will imporve.

For the record, I fed my own son "discreetly" - but if other men (or women) chose to be embarrassed, that was their problem, no tmine - and certainly not my son's.

Yours etc"

Forgive the typos and the "their" when it should have been "there"

Great from you, prettybird - let us know if you get a response. I'm going to pen mine later on.

Lets see if we can get our letters in print for next month

Why do embarrassed men find it so hard to NOT look at the object of their embarrassment? Perhaps they're jealous of the babies.....

Is public breast-feeding more embarrassing to men that drunk men urinating in public is to women?

KS, I see what you're saying, but I really am uncomfortable with equating breastfeeding with urination in public. The latter is illegal and disgusting.

Silly bitch.
She probably thinks there are legions of Jesus sandal wearing loons with brillo pad armpits and purple tyedye outfits just waiting for the word to rush out and bare their milky breasts.

I see your point hunker but I think Kitten's point is why do (some) men think the world is their dominion to do with whatever they wish even if it is disgusting and illegal (and in my front porch ) but women are somehow not allowed to do something right and normal and healthy.

Prettybird, might be worth referring Louise Chunn to this thread in your letter, hopefully it might make her think twice before penning such drivel...
Am sure she will have lost a few potential readers through this.

TBH the only negative comments I have ever had have been from women. The usual comments I get from men are that they think the baby is just asleep on my lap! An elderly chap sat next to me in sainsburys and chatted quite happily, well aware that I was breastfeeding. I think the person I've encountered who gets most embarrassed is my mum, she really can't get used to it.
I think women are so often the worst censors of other women. This lady sounds out of touch and I'm really happy we now have the law on our side and can just brush this sort of thing off.

I will add in a reference to the editorial and make it clear that it is Louise Chim's attitude that disapointsme.

I may also steal the idea of the "mystery breat flaunters"!

I don't really see the problem with being discreet. Isn't that what you'd aim for, as the person feeding, anyway?

Gobble, people further down the thread have explained that it isn't always possible to be discreet if you are having problems latching baby on. No-one forces anyone to look in your direction. Didn't the mothers of these purient nosy-parkers tel them it's rude to stare?

what is this "in your face, milky breast baring"? I have never, ever seen it, and I bet Louise Chunn hasn't either. It's the sort of dusty old stereotype that lives entirely in popular mythos rather than the real world.

I was discrete to the point of not getting a good latch (ds was very difficult to latch on for the first few months), as I didn't want to "flaunt" my breasts.

The new law isn't about these mystery breast flaunters, it's about allowing women to be able ot feed thier children naturally when and where requiered - as they are able to do with bottles.

I had a chat with my dh about it this last night: he said that some of the embarassment is that men are scared of being "seen" to be looking when a woman is breast feeding. But he did agree that that was thier problem - and that breast feeding wasn;'t something that shuld be hidden away.

no this fecks me off too

i think we can safely assume that women are INTENDING to be discreet anyway. It just doesn't always work.

Women DO, routinely choose not to bf because they are worried that they will have to do it in public. This sort of attitute, in a WOMEN'S magazine fgs, reinforces this idea.

I would also say that it is exactly the men who have no objection to 16.0 yos flounting themselves who object to babies being fed in public. And they really do need to grow up.