Heard the one about the woman thrown off a plane for refusing to cover her baby’s head when breastfeeding? It’s no joke. Seated by the window at the back of the plane next to her hubby, she could hardly be considered in-flight entertainment. But the flight attendant—genderless, by all accounts—found the sight of a mother nursing a child to be “offensive.”
While it sounds bizarre, this story is similar to one reported back in July. In that case, readers objected to the mere image of a breastfeeding baby on the cover of BabyTalk, a free publication targeted to (big surprise here) new moms. Letter writers used words like “gross,” or said they were “shocked to see a giant breast on the cover of your magazine.” One woman considered it a form of flashing, stating “I don’t want my son or husband to accidentally see a breast they didn’t want to see.”
Accidentally? In some cultures, women’s breasts are purposely left uncovered at all times, making it easy for them to do the centuries-old job nature intended: feeding babies. What’s unnatural are boobs deliberately hiked up by some tits-on-a-platter bra, á la Victoria’s Secret.
In today’s civilized society, women must stage “nurse-ins” and lobby for laws to protect their right to breastfeed in public. But there’s no legislation shielding our eyes from the endless images of provocatively-posed models in their skivvies–ready for work or play in a pair of indispensable stiletto heels. These airbrushed, photo-shopped, cartoon bosoms could poke out an eye, or two! One wonders whether the above-mentioned reader has any concern for the continuous over-exposure to suggestive lingerie ads. It could leave the impression that breasts can only be appreciated for their erotic value.
Guess it’s all in how you look at boobs.
