It is the question I ask myself every time a news comes out that a mother was "invited to retire" or questioned for breastfeeding her son in a public place, as we know has happened. What really bothers to see a mother breastfeeding her baby?
Is it the mother's bare chest? Quite hypocritical, when in social networks and even walking down the street you see more tits (and more tit) exposed. Do they consider it an intimate act? Intimate between the mother and the baby and it is they who decide where and how, not a third party. Anyway ... I find it difficult to find answers to this question, but a recent study in the United Kingdom gives us some clues. Let me tell you.
Forced to cover with a napkin
A recent study published in J Human Lactation wanted to delve into this matter as a result of a fact that happened in 2014 that has had a great public impact.
It turns out that a mother was breastfeeding at the luxurious Claridge Hotel in London and was forced to cover herself with a napkin. A waiter approached him with a large napkin and asked him to cover his chest, asking for discretion. She felt judged and humiliated, and even burst into tears, but decided to take photos of that moment that are the ones we see above and those that have given rise to the indignation of many mothers.
The case generated quite controversy provoking the reaction of the "Free to Feed" movement, which fights against the discrimination of nursing mothers, who gathered in front of the hotel to make a popular "tetada" in protest.
What bothers this image?
It is something that happens frequently, and not only in the United Kingdom. In Spain, and we know that many other countries too, many people they feel uncomfortable When mothers breastfeed their babies in public, however, little is known about the underlying reasons for this discomfort.
The study we mentioned earlier was based on comments that appeared on social networks in reference to the hotel incident. The objective was to evaluate the different views on breastfeeding in public in the United Kingdom and understand why some English citizens oppose this practice.
Most commenters supported breastfeeding "discreet" in public, but in general, breastfeeding in public is always considered appropriate.
The breast sexualization It is something that was evoked as something that others may experience when they see a nursing mother.
The most common common justifications of those who opposed breastfeeding in public were the feeling of shame as spectators ("not knowing where to look") and the aversion to perceiving breast milk as a body fluid.
In conclusion of the study, the authors recommend that campaigns aimed at normalizing breastfeeding in public focus on highlighting the image of breast milk as food and not as a body fluid.
