The Breast Book

[MilkSpill]

My oldest daughter is heading towards puberty so I'm stocking up on resources to discuss it with her. I'd heard great things about the new book by Emma Pickett called 'The Breast Book' and it arrived today. I was having a flick through and lots of positives - normalising breastfeeding, discussion of sexualised media, and then hit this.

EIGHT pages dedicated to advocating for elective mastectomy.

Totally glossing over the risks, no discussion of sexuality, just basically 'someone said Jack was a girl when he was born' and off into a story of how Jack did a lot of thinking and then had his breasts cut off. Presented positively and affirmingly and in child-appropriate language.

How am I supposed to use this resource with my daughter? I can't just cut 8 pages out of the book. I want my money back.

It's not released in the UK until 14th March, maybe it's been released elsewhere sooner?

The OP is in Australia. But MN is a British site so they can't have their copyrighted material displayed in the British market ahead of UK publication. It's a copyright issue.

I've had what looks like a standard reply from Martin Wagner (the Martin in Pinter and Martin), completely failing to address the points I made and making no reference to Margaret McCartney's BMJ article which I sent him.

We need to keep the pressure up. The huge rise in girls identifying as trans and ROGD cannot be ignored.

this is the reply I got, pondering my response:

Jack’s story was highlighted in the message to parents/ carers in the introduction as we appreciate it may require further discussion. We know young people are hearing about trans journeys from a variety of sources but often with very little context or an explanation of the years of reflection that are required. We feel Jack presents a journey which was clearly undertaken in adulthood after many years of careful consideration. Jack also describes mixed feelings about having his surgery (a perspective rarely seen in trans stories) and it is presented as a difficult and challenging decision. It is made clear that this is not the same thing as a young person exploring what it means to be a boy or a girl but is a serious and irreversible adult decision.

We understand gender dysphoria in younger people is a serious concern but some of the confusion perhaps arises from the fact we live in a society where conversations about the female body and breast development are not happening openly. Young people are experiencing body changes in isolation and are often afraid. When breasts are presented as purely sexual and are poorly understood, further confusion results. We feel that a normalisation of breasts, a conversation about the function of breasts and a book that encourages young people to have open conversations and to seek support is a positive thing.

I think what I'd say to that is that if your aim is the "normalisation of breasts" then suggesting a double mastectomy in a perfectly healthy young woman as a reasonable option is perhaps not sending out the message you might want.

It may well be the case that they present Jack's decision as "difficult and challenging". That may seem reasonable, and they may feel they're being even-handed. But the point is they're still representing a double mastectomy as a legitimate option rather than find ways to help a young woman feel comfortable in her own body.

But the point is they're still representing a double mastectomy as a legitimate option rather than find ways to help a young woman feel comfortable in her own body.

Yes. Would they say that an anorexic who genuinely believes themselves to be fat should be allowed to to starve themselves such that they permanently harm themselves in adulthood? Because I don't see the difference. How about addressing sexist stereotypes instead?

Does it have the bit about the mental/physical/financial costs which occur a couple of years later when Jack changes Jack's mind and and calls herself she again?

TBH if someone presented something to me as different, difficult and challenging, but also a possibility, in my teens, I would have had to have a go. If I had got it into my head that it was doable and would make me feel better, then I would do it.

It is hard to believe now as I am such a wimp (probably banged my head against too many brick walls).

I can't see that it has any place in a book for 11 year olds who do not know how they are going to feel about the changes puberty bring.

This is the type of book which would be passed around school friends. When I was at school we all read someone's copy of Teenage Health Freak, and took it as absolute gospel. Frightening to think of a child believing this rubbish.

If they're not going to include a positive story about breast ironing, why are they including one about mastectomy?

Damaging and mutilating breasts is damaging and mutilating breasts.

Is there anything about how wonderful breastfeeding is for many mothers in this book? A positive message - and how cutting them off will mean you never get to experience this? Breastfeeding has been one of the best experiences of my life, plus had the added bonus of being an instant way of curing all baby / toddler ills.

The publisher told me it's not true. Weird. Looking forward to reading this when it is released.

The publisher told me it's not true. Weird. Looking forward to reading this when it is released.

I have a copy. It's true.

@Ineedacupofteadesperately

The book has a general breastfeeding focus (weirdly almost too much, given it's for young girls), very positive, lots of stories and photographs of breastfeeding and women talking about being glad they overcame bf challenges or did it even though they weren't sure about it at first.

The chapter which includes the long story about mastectomy and gender transitioning ends with another story about another post mastectomy trans parent using a supplemental nursing system and donor milk to 'chestfeed'. Totally glossing over how difficult that is and how different it is to breastfeeding.

BUT earlier in the book Pickett words her comments about breast implants very strongly. Says it's illegal before 18, can cause all sorts of complications and make breastfeeding really difficult. Really mixed messaging.

@MilkSpill
I received an email last night saying 'of course it's not true' then a clarification this morning with a link to the statement about Jack's story.

www.pinterandmartin.com/the-breast-book-statement
Weird the cognitive dissonance involved in justifying this to themselves.

She doesn't quite get it.

Fantastic post, FeministCat

I'm so disappointed, the author came across as so switched on in her recent interview on woman's hour.

Completely dispiriting.

Thanks for the info Milkspill - I'm glad there are positive breastfeeding stories but yes, mixed messages aren't doing anyone any favours but particularly not pubescent girls.

Regarding 'chestfeeding'

Totally glossing over how difficult that is and how different it is to breastfeeding.

This seems to be a common theme for trans issues and is why there will be lawsuits galore in the future in my opinion. Kids are being fed the lie that anything is possible, but the fact is that normal breastfeeding is hard enough in the early days and normal pumping even harder in my experience. Plus there isn't enough donor milk even for women with actual illnesses who can't breastfeed themselves. Where's this mythical donor milk coming from and why should women go through the effort required to donate to women who willingly cut off their own breasts? It's a fantasy, just not possible, why are they lying and pretending it is?

@RadicalStitch doublethink is positively de rigeur for these people...

That statement is beyond depressing.

"Young people expressed an interest in trans issues during my preparation for the book".... so I included two positive stories about mastectomy and totally erased the experiences of trans folk who have experienced medical complications or women who have detransitioned!

"Breasts shouldn't be presented as purely sexual because that's confusing"... but advocating for the surgical removal of healthy body parts is super not confusing for 9-12 year old girls coming to terms with their budding breasts

She seems to think her only options for addressing gender dysphoria and trans issues were to a. say nothing or b. represent slicing off your breasts as totally cool.

Worth adding here. Granted not about breasts but these children and young girls are not being given the full picture about becoming "transmen."

www.transgendertrend.com/severe-pain-orgasm-effect-testosterone-female-body/

Posie and others (sweary) are doing a live chat with the author now:

https://www.facebook.com/theposieparker/videos/2436867369766562?sfns=mo

Excellent questions posed to the author. Thank you.

Listening to the authors reasonings for including the material makes me realise there does need to be clarification of what gender stereotypes are for children and why it's important to challenge them (and probably for adults), what 'trans' is and isn't (but isn't changing sex as this is impossible) and the basic difference between sex and gender, but definitely not in this book.

Bump

Watching Posie's Facebook live, when Joani Walsh was challenging Emma Pickett she said that she had just let Jack tell the story of Jack's "journey", and that Jack saying biological sex was a social construct was just a commentary on society. But in the screenshot at the beginning of this thread she uses trans ideology concepts like sex being assigned at birth based on genitals.

So that's a bit disingenuous.

Posie’s Facebook video link doesn’t seem to be working? Does anyone know what’s happened to it?

It's disappeared. Possibly privacy / safeguarding? There were some teens there though I couldn't really see them on the film.