Rant: Public Displays of Breast
Ah Mother’s Day. A day of celebration for those women who brought us all into this world. A day of families, children and…boobs. Yes, boobs…please be patient, I’ll explain.After an utterly fantastic day of shopping and casually jaunting around below 14th street, two girlfriends and I decided to grab an early dinner at our favorite restaurant. I mean, what could be better than wine, cheese and Italian tapas?!
After hanging out bar-side with a bottle of Nero D’Avloa and 3 blocks of cheese, we sat down at our table and ordered up some pasta, more wine and the best olives found on this side of the Hudson. For some reason, we were all so jovial that our food was even better than usual…including the two rounds of olive oil ice cream.
After thoroughly enjoying the food placed in front of us, I looked up and directly in my line of sight was a giant, vein ridden, lactating breast. A boob, along with no-need-to-be-said-child suckling away while the mother picked at her food in front of her. GASP!
Clearly I have a problem with this. I know it was Mother’s Day and all, but that is NO excuse for her not to COVER IT UP! My friends were equally as appalled as I was, and my one friend even said they have a special mommy cover-up for occasions just like this one.
Perhaps my reaction to seeing tit over dinner is surprising considering I have virtually no problem with topless tanning, large doses of silicone and enhancing cleavage on most GNOs (read: girls nights out). Quite the contrary. I need to vent.
To the woman who felt it was ‘no big deal’ to feed her child over dinner, please note the following the next time you decide to whip out your bosoms in a public place:
- Be considerate, people are eating and don’t want to see your nipples next to slices of pancetta…cover it up!
- People may be uncomfortable and being in a small, enclosed space makes it difficult to avoid the scene if so desired…cover it up!
- Breastfeeding is a rather intimate thing, and shouldn’t be shared with the entirety of the Village…cover it up!
Knowing that there will be a next time, may I suggest that you follow these simple steps to avoid upsetting your fellow dining room companions: 1) Pick up the baby blanket next to you 2) throw it over your shoulder. Mother’s Day is no excuse.
posted by Lisa @ 11:23 AM
4 Comments:
I think it's interesting how you are comfortable with boobs being displayed in a sexual manner (cleavage, silicon enhancement etc.), but you are not comfortable with their display when being used for their primary function -- providing nourishment.
Maybe your perspective, not that mother's behaviour, needs adjusting.
elle - this reminds me of a story that my brother in law told me -- about how he had to coordinate (he works for a large hotel chain) a convention of members of La Leche League.
imagine, now, a hotel full of mothers breast feeding their children. not babies, children. one was 13. you know, opening up the shirt so that he could breast feed from his mother.
hmmm...I don't know how i feel about this...I mean, it's a must for the beast, but also kind of just unsettling for everyone else...I think the kid would probably be screaming like Stewie from the family guy "cover me up damn woman!" if he/she could talk...
I agree...If I had a child and was breast feeding, I would go into a ladies room or something. I see more and more women in NYC breast feeding their children out in public. Last night my boyfriend and I were coming back from East Hampton & on the LIRR, and a woman was breast feeding her child, not even bothering to cover herself the least bit. Her husband didn't even try to sit in front of her. The lady completely removed her top and breast fed her infant.
Breast feeding really is an intimate thing!
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