It seems we’ve come a long way in the fight against breastfeeding shamers; however, there are still those who find it to be an unacceptable act.
Why? Why is it such an issue for a woman to feed and nurture her child wherever she pleases? The world may never know—but we can speculate. In many people’s opinion, a lot of the reason there is still a large number of those who detest public breastfeeding is because of the community experience provided by the internet.
Across the web, it’s easy for just about anyone to “stand on a soapbox” and pontificate nonsense. Even worse, they can openly share it as much as possible which only further spreads their nonsense. This is just one example of how the legions of breastfeeding shamers have stayed relevant despite the support and approval nurturing mothers receive on a global scale.
Jenni Buckley, a blogger for Baby Center, recently brought to light some of the more ridiculous allegations against breastfeeding mums that the internet and shamers use in their arguments. She promptly responded to these laughable claims by posting a list of the things that DIDN’T happen the last time she breastfed publicly.
Check out this mum’s awesome responses to common breastfeeding misconceptions, and her list of things that DON’T happen when mums breastfeed in public:
1. Men don’t lose their ability to function
Even though shamers and hateful netizens will have you thinking otherwise, most people are respectful and understanding of breastfeeding. While I can’t guarantee that men won’t go crazy for a shirtless non-breastfeeding woman, there’s no doubt in my mind that they can handle a nurturing mother with as much maturity as you would expect. Men won’t lose their ability to function, or even gawk at a woman as she slightly exposes her breast to feed her child. Grow up shamers and internet commenters!
2. Children aren’t demoralised
Image source: iStock
Here’s another example of how impactful the ridiculous propaganda spread by internet users and shamers truly is. Good news: children won’t “lose their innocence” if they are exposed to or witness a natural act like breastfeeding. They may be curious, but can you blame them? That’s on the off chance that they actually care to notice. Kids don’t typically overanalyse situations and you aren’t doing much to catch their attention in the first place. And if they do notice, it’s nothing a simple explanation can’t handle.
3. A mum’s breast isn’t openly exposed
Image source: iStock
Jenni Buckley puts it best in her post: “I don’t know about anyone else, but between a nursing bra, a nursing tank, a shirt, and a baby, it’s a freaking miracle I could even get the thing out.”
Once again, it seems that those who use arguments like this are the ones that seem to know little (or nothing) about how breastfeeding works!
4. Nobody loses their appetite
This one is probably the most offensive because it shames mums into thinking that by providing their child with nourishment, they’re ruining everyone’s day or making them sick to their stomach. Well, this is only true of the 1 person who gets uncomfortable with breastfeeding. I’m confident in saying that a very, very small percentage of people would lose their appetite over a mum feeding her child.
Mums, the fact of the matter is that there’s nothing wrong with breastfeeding publicly, and the stigma against it is fading fast. The internet is full of shamers, and the world is full of “haters” never let their preposterous hangups stop you from fulfilling your motherly duties. Be confident, and proud and help put an end to shamers like Jenni Buckley, mums!
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them with us!