Does this upset you?

1. International Breastfeeding Symbol Pendant Necklace, 2. Mary Cassatt painting Breastfeeding Pendant, 3. Renoir Breastfeeding Pendant Necklace, 4. Dalou Breastfeeding Pendant Necklace, 5. Mary Cassatt Drawing Breastfeeding Pendant Necklace, 6. Solario Breastfeeding Pendant Necklace, 7. Solario Breastfeeding Pendant Necklace, 8. sling baby, 9. mama


First I want to recognize the artist who created these lovely pendants. She has an etsy store, Such Pretty Colors and a website, and you should be able to access her flickr photo set from the credits under the photos. She also has a blog, I found these pendants a while back searching on how to make polymer clay photo pendants. (Which I still have not mastered by the way.)

Second, I wonder why these images bothers so many people. I am sure most of us have heard of Facebook removing pictures of breastfeeding mothers because it violates their terms of use. Myspace does this as well, according to one of my friends who had a complaint filed and a picture removed this week. The photo in question was an oil painting not unlike some of those pictured here. (I should note I have accounts on both sites.)

Personally I have seen much more offensive photos of scantily clad girls who want to be my friend so they can spam me to death about visiting their porn site, or help me learn how to make money.

As a mother, who breastfed both of my boys, I am well aware of the opposition to breastfeeding. For the life of me, I don't get it. If I had dime for every time someone said something chastising to me like I don't have a problem with it unless, they can chew real food, ask for it, walk, I could have bought formula. Except I didn't want to, I was lazy and cheap and washing bottles and buying formula seemed stupid to me. Of course I was lucky enough to stay home or work part time both times for the first year.

I am more shocked by the discouragement most hospital nurses give to breastfeeding. I was discouraged with my first. The second time around the nurses didn't give me any guff, God bless them, because I was loaded for bear if they had even whispered to me about formula. I can easily count on both hands friends who have been outright discouraged, have been chastised and generally given a hard time about it. I had one daycare director, actually suggest to me that if I insisted on breastfeeding, I should pump it and feed it from a bottle so I knew exactly how much he was getting. She told me she disapproved of breastfeeding, I thought that was especially sad since she was the director of a grads program at a high school, and was in charge of helping guide the teen mothers.

One of my most angry moments was using a tucked away breastfeeding nook at our local mall on day, completely covered, I am not the bare all type of girl, and getting ugly looks from the mall walkers. I was very pissed me off, they saw the signs, they could have not walked around the booth.

I know breastfeeding isn't for every mom, since work or medical issues often prevent it. However I feel like social pressure should never be the reason. I don't know why I was so adamant about it, since other than one girlfriend, I knew no one else who was doing it. It wasn't a tradition in my family. However the possible benefits for my child seemed, to outweigh any misgivings I might have had. I can see why painters through the ages have chosen to document it, I still have fond memories of my babies, suckling, staring intently at me with a tiny hand curled around my fingers.

I think it is sad the female breast is so sexualized in this country that is the only use we can see for it, and not for the other reason God made them.