Time magazine image of breastfeeding

[banana87]

Apparently this image is kicking up a hot debate in the US.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/time-magazine-cover-showing-mother-828267

I really wish people would educate themselves about the benefits of extended breastfeeding before proclaiming its child molestation. Utterly crap.

The picture is designed to generate headlines and is a reflection of the growth of the attachment parenting movement.

I think the whole theory is bananas and think any women who follows it is a masachist/martyr but its definitely becoming popular.

Exotic fruits, in my experience of bf a toddler (DS1 was 2.2 when he stopped), they do often look sideways away from the breast, at cameras or someone else in the room. they also often look smug, as why should they not? Even my smaller toddler at 17 months frequently sits sideways on to me and looks round the room while he's feeding (god knows exactly how long my nipples are at that point, but they are designed to elongate!).

And before any more coals are poured on this woman's head, perhaps try heaping some on the photographer who posed it, and on the editor who chose to run this sensationalist photo with such a divisive and insulting headline?

That's ... balanced of you, SnappySnappy.

Reshape I am definitely not balanced when it comes to attachment parenting . I am genuinely baffled by the practice.
Its not the extended bf I am baffled by but just the overall theory. I have yet to meet a Mum who practices it who is not just a bit martyred.

Mmm, ok, I'll let you off. I hate 'subscribing' to labeled child-rearing philosophies myself, but I suppose if someone were to look in on how I live, they'd label me lentilly an AP type.

And yes, I think I do come across as martyred sometimes, but that's just a snapshot on a particular day. (For instance, this morning I am bloody knackered after a night when my co-sleeping DS2 stayed awake for over 3 bloody hours, ffs. And I'm not inclined towards giving CC a try. But usually, he's ok.) After all, any parent, regardless of what they do with their children, is going to feel fed up/martyred sometimes.

If you want an explanation of why I co-sleep (only with DS2), breastfeed a little past the average duration (DS1 was 2.2 when he stopped), carry DS2 in slings (and also the buggy!), then mostly - it's because it made for an easier life for all of us initially. I wanted to breastfeed DS2, and knew I'd got a bit tired with DS1 at nights, so he came into bed with us from the day he was born. It meant I didn't really have to wake up to feed him at night. (And yes, it comes with its own set of disadvantages, as well as advantages.) Breastfeeding - oh, have a look on the feeding boards to see why breastfeeding past a few months can be a good thing. Slings - easier with an older child who hogs the buggy, or when you need both your hands free, or just to cuddle and comfort a baby while getting on with your life.

I can't speak for anyone else. I don't see myself as an AP really, just as someone who made choices about how to make family life a bit easier, with her eyes open. Like any other parenting choices, the circumstances change as the child gets older.

Oh, and soft fabric slings and wraps are so much prettier and addictive than the funkiest of buggies.

I don't think EBF has anything to do with being "wonderful at mumming"-just sayin.

This woman is being assertive. Get over it.

Women don't come any more assertive than me Badgerina but assertiveness does not equal exhibitionism and exploitation. If you are truly confident about what you do you just get on with it. You don't have to do the whole "World look at ME thing".

Oh, and what Scottish said.

what nanct said, these sort of pics just pander to the bf after a year is freaky mindset alot of people have.

photo would have been much better if she was feeding him however she normally does, snuggled up on a chair or whatever

how do we draw the line at what is exploitative and what isnt? i said this earlier on the thread but children are portrayed in the media all the time, they are used in adverts etc, hell i just rolled a fag and my packet of tobacco has a pic of a poorly tiny baby in nicu on it, to remind me that smoking when pregnant harms my baby, well thanks for that but i am not pregnant anyway. but am assuming the babies parents gave permission for the picture to be used? is that exploitative or is merely because he 'might' be bullied when he is older? maybe we should do more to address bullying and make it clear to children that its not ok? rather than not letting our children do things for fear they may be bullied.

and as i said upthread my own almost 13yr old wasnt bothered by the pic, saw it as good art and simply shrugged. Equally if he was at his friends house and he saw some of their baby/toddler pictures and one of them was of them bfeeding i doubt he would be bothered either, i wouldnt think he would tease them because of it and if he did, then i would be having words with him!

'or is merely because he 'might' be bullied when he is older? maybe we should do more to address bullying and make it clear to children that its not ok? rather than not letting our children do things for fear they may be bullied'

totally agree, any time any thing different is done, peopel cry oh that poor child might get bullied, makes me dispair really, what about the child with a giant nose that can do anything about.
why not concentrate on why bullying is wrong, rather saying people shouldt do things that may make it more likely they will get bullied

I want to like it, I am very much in favour of breastfeeding and am in complete agreement with all the arguments for extended breastfeeding even though I only fed DS for 5 months.

As a rule I applaud a f*-you attitude to being judged

And I am generally very much in favour of images that empower women which I think does.

But I really don't like the image, I agree the mother looks fantastic (great stance, great expression) but I think what I loathe about it is that she appears to be the main subject and it is about her attitude to breastfeeding, how she doesn't care etc and the son looks sort of squashed onto her breast.

I think if he was looking at her, or just looked happier/more content maybe it would feel like it told a different story.

Let's say, for arguments sake that she IS trying to draw attention to her own agenda, her OWN experience of breast feeding. Maybe she is "showing off". So what?

Fact of the matter: being a mother, being a woman, breast feeding; these things ARE political. Not for individuals in their day-to-day, but in the wider social/media realm.

No one is asking any of US to pose like this, or to be published (well, they might, journos often need willing families to participate in their articles etc don't they?), but SOMEONE'S got to do it.

Before the general election, David Cameron regularly appeared in public with his wife and young children, including his disabled son, Ivan. He did this, at the advice of his spin-doctors (I've seen The Thick of It ) in order to further his own political agenda. I really want to know if this is "allowed" in Mumsnet-land??

Or is it ok because it didn't involve naked breast? (just backward, selfish politics FAR more of a scandal if you ask me)

Hmm, still not getting all the fuss. I think we need some comparisons.

Is this OK? I don't know, there's a lot of flesh on display - and what a provocative pout!

How about this one? Well it's all very posed - and won't that little boy be embarrassed to see himself cavorting with a load of scantily clad ladies when he's grown up?

Is this OK? You know what, I think this is genuinely exploitative given Britney's well publicised mental health issues.

Now tell me: which of these magazine covers - or any of the millions like them - got anything like the publicity of the one which featured breastfeeding?

What is about breastfeeding that causes everyone to lose their rag???

Maybe the fuss should be over the fact that they were trying to generate a fuss and breastfeeding is such an easy target apparently? Maybe we should raise an eyebrow at the fact that this is almost guaranteed to get some strong reactions.

Of course they were trying to generate a fuss as the T imes said this morning 'if it was a group of discreetly breast feeding mums at a coffee morning, most of us would have yawned and turned the page. The magazine has done it's job'.
It goes on to point out that no one looks at it and thinks 'gosh, this makes me want to find out about the breast-is-best issue and attachment parenting'. Therefore, I think it failed- but it probably sold the magazine.
I think that the child has been exploited because some comments that have been left on line, elsewhere, are horrible and I wouldn't even want to repeat them. They won't disappear from the Internet either.

Well that being the case, I look forward to the time when we see breastfeeding 3 year olds on the cover of every magazine, every day, until people are utterly bored by the topic and it is no longer seen as shocking and emotive.

This will not happen unless a few brave souls first stand up to be counted. Which this lady was doing.

"I look forward to the time when we see breastfeeding 3 year olds on the cover of every magazine, every day, until people are utterly bored by the topic and it is no longer seen as shocking and emotive.

This will not happen unless a few brave souls first stand up to be counted. Which this lady was doing."

Absolutely

Sadly I didn't have any photos of DD feeding after she was 2 days old.

Given she could feed standing up without a step when we decided it was time to stop, it would have made a good cover

She is exploiting her child for her own cause. Some very lousy parenting there. End of.

I don't look forward to it at all.

But then i dont think that exploiting your child publically and nationally is very acceptable ...

He's 3 it will mostly be forgotten in a week or two.

If the picture raises it's head when he's older I'm sure he can think of a suitable reply.

Remember BFing improves intelligence.

Well that's what they say. My DD2 would certainly have a few choice words for anyone who said BF is only for babies.

I didn't read it all, but I nursed my girl until she was almost 4... I didn't pose like this ever..... She was a very tall girl, and yes, it got to be difficult... My DP didn't care, but my family started getting upset with me...

I don't regret it either.

I picked up a freebie copy of Time in the airport lounge, and it had a different cover (same story inside though)....I guess they printed two versions because it was too edgey for some places/ corporate customers?

She wasn't 'a brave soul who stood up to be counted' , she was an attention seeker getting her 5 mins of fame at the expense of her DC. As a responsible parent I would shield my DC from any publicity at all, and certainly from the front cover of a magazine where he is exposed to vile comments.