Breastfeeding in public as opposed to....?

seeing half naked women on posters, magazines, billboards, young girls running around with hardly any clothes covering their body...
Does it really make sense for our society to be so against breastfeeding in public?? ...given breastfeeding its not meant as sexual, but Most of the time these little teeny boppers dressed in hardly nothing is not meant for every guy to stare at either, so why is it diefferent? we see naked women all over the place, why should this make anyone uncomfortable to see a little patch of breast?.....when there are tons of half naked girls all over the place...and not even for the sake of anything! at least a breastfeeding mother has a reason to be exposed!

Sammie....i WAS NOT talking about porn!! there are half naked girls walking around everywhere you go...and thats not MY choice, its not my choice to see a billboard add that has a womens body highly exposed! and a breastfeeding mother does NOT show her nipple! the baby has it in their mouth...you only see a patch of breast just like you would seeing a women with a low cut shirt on!...I find your answer totally uninformed and frankly ridiculous....why would I be talking about porn?? sheesh...when ur at the store next time browse the magazine rack and tell me how many women you see with very little clothing on!

I agree with you COMPLETELY!!! Answers to this question that talk about breastfeeding being "gross" or not appropriate in public are just about the height of ignorance! The fact that some people can turn a natural act (we're MAMMALS, people, with mammary glands intended for nursing!!) into something twisted or disgusting totally horrifies and angers me.

Because some people only want to see boobs being flaunted around sexually - not serving an actual purpose.

It makes those people feel weird, I guess, to know that boobs do more than just jiggle and bounce.

Society views breast as fun sexual playthings, not a natural way of feeding our babies.

I agree with you...our society is screwed up..we think of breast sexually...and that's it..I see worse when I walk through hollister at the mall..I see 12 year olds with push bras on..very uncalled for...at such a young age they are already pushing breast as sexual...


raysmithson1-Would YOU want something over your head while you eat?? I don't think so...would YOU want to eat in a bathroom?? I don't think so..so I don't think an innocent child should have be subjected to such behavior...

I think the only ones that really object to public breastfeeding is women that are jealous of another woman and men that hate women.

When I was young we lived out in the boonies and women breastfed in public at social events and whatnot. It didn't phase me a bit as a kid, other than getting my mouth all watery.

I think it's ridiculous to censor public breastfeeding to any degree. Whip 'em out!

Back when I was uneducated, I admit it bothered me... we come from an age where formula feeding is "normal." I think that is the problem with a lot of people, they are simply uneducated.

I say when done properly it's no big deal , I mean if you let it all hang out then your wrong,a diaper over the baby and breast is the way it should be done , the hell with people that oppose this

Yep, I agree 100%

Breast feeding is a lot more natural than running around with bra strps hanging out everywhere. And I'm apalled at people who think breast feeding should be done in the ladies room. And while I'm thinking about it, it should be obvious to people that this is a matter of necessity, that women don't run out to breast feed in public when they could be doing it in private

Yeah I agree...but nothing will get resolved !! why can't I just feed my baby in public w/o getting strange looks? But my sister in law has people slobbering because her fake boobs are hanging out..lol

it isnt different, i think the way people let some of their teens dress is disgusting. breastfeeding isnt disgusting, its what they were intended for, but still if its my breast id just as soon not have everyone gawking at it and would prefer to use a light cover, because not everyone sees it as such.

you are very right!!!

I know this doesn't quite answer your question but i feel like sharing, lol. Once when me and my neighbors were about 7 years old, my neighbor's mom had twins, and we knocked on their door one day to ask if he could come out to play, and his mom came to the door breastfeeding, lol. We were all 6 & 7 years old, so we thought it was hilarious! Well, everyone except my older brother who was 13 at the time, we was incredibly amused and just stood there staring!

I have BFed three in public, discreetly and modesty and with respect for my body, my husband, and society.
Public display of personal body parts anywhere and for any reason is inappropriate, and I think women who are AGAINST modesty have serious issues that are far bigger than this-
If you respect yourself and your baby enough to nurse, why not respect both of you enough to do it discreetly?
And since when is the only way to be modest by 'throwing a blanket over your baby's face' or sitting in a public restroom?Extremists are generally desperate for attention.

i agree i did not breastfeed my first son, and this time round i am going to breastfeed. i will feel a little embarrassed at first but this is only to be expected as i dont even like wearing skirts unless i go out on the town. i dont see the problem in breastfeeding in public at all. i mean the cave women and cave men didnt care so why have we become so wierd about our bodies and other peoples? i am glad that most public places allow breastfeeding now otherwise, breastfeeding mums would not go out the house!! it may be uncomfortable for others, but so what they should just get used to the natural way in which women feed there children. and when it is women who do it and then they have babies and breastfeed themselves in public, i bet they wonder why they were bothered about it in the first place.

I don't see anything wrong with it as long as it is done in a tactful way- if you let it all hang out, exposing yourself to those around you, then you are just as tacky and disgusting.

The pre-eminence of man above a beast

I agree with you 100%. If there was a fitting room close by I would go in one to avoid the "looks".

Thats just society.. i have to admit i am a breastfeeding mom to my 3 month old but sometimes i even think its kinda weird that shes on my boob lol but that doesnt stop me from feeding my baby, when im in public i cover up with a blanket but not because of breastfeeding but because im so self concious, im one of those women that are uncomfortable in a bathing suit. but i also have never had anybody stare ugly faces at me, i dare somebody too im not afraid to stare ugly back! lol

I think it's crazy, too. Although I know breastfeeding publicly and without covering up is legal in most states (maybe all?). I'm a discreet public breastfeeder, but I'm almost tempted to do it so I might empower other women to do it also. It's not "gross" or "inappropriate!" It would be so much easier if I could just sit down and feed my baby without thinking! 99% of the time you can't even see anything!

I agree 100%! I've seen magazine covers on newstands that could definitely be considered soft porn (maxim) and nobody thinks twice about it but public nursing gets everbody all up in arms.
The good news is I nurse in public when ever I need to,usually discreetly when my daughter allows it but sometimes I'm sure if you really looked you may get a peek of something. I can honestly say nobody has ever looked funny at me.
The only way to make it acceptable is to keep doing it. If people look too bad. They have the CHOICE to look away. In no way does that mean you have to march topless through walmart but if someone catches a glimpse oh well!

I think that if someone is offended by seeing a baby eat, they should cover their heads with a blanket.

i would breastfeed in public but a lot of places don't have any place to do it, most of the wal-marts or grocery stores where i live don't have benches in the ladies room or their 'family' bathrooms for mothers to nurse, i ran into that alot when i was going nursing my first though the wal-marts do have benches through out the store i wasn't comfortable nursing in public even with a blanket so i would either go out to my truck and nurse in the parking lot or in really clean bathrooms, sit on the floor of the handi-cap stall and nurse. i have also noticed many stores in malls are not stroller acomidating meaning they have really small isles which a stroller atleast a regular one can not fit down with out running into things, which sends the feeling to me atleast is that now i have kids ( 2 and 2mths) is that i shouldn't be shopping at a mall because malls are for young people and i am still young and still look good in junior fashions (i'm a 7/8 in jeans) so i do still want to shop at a mall because to me the womens clothing is just to 'old' styled for me. is society just trying to keep women with childern out of public shopping places by making it dificult to manover a stroller around and looking down their nose at breastfeeding in public?

uhh because its gross.

Because the girls who are running around half naked at least have their nipples covered. I'd like to know where you see naked people all around. You can go to or rent a movie BY CHOICE and see a woman's breasts, or go to a strip club BY CHOICE, or see naked women in magazines BY CHOICE. There are decency laws in place that do not allow women to be exposed in public. Any time you are exposed to a naked body it is by your own choice. I personally do not want to be exposed to a woman's breasts when I go to a restaurant, that is my choice. When a breastfeeding mother whips out her breast in public, she is taking away my choice to not be exposed to it. There are many women who have the decency to cover up and I applaud them. But, there are many that don't and that is why people have a problem with it.

Think about whether or not you would give your 8 year old son a Playboy and the reasons for that. Then think about how many 8 year old boys are out in public when a woman decides to breastfeed without covering up.