If it wasn't for the abundance of scantily clad women splashed across television screens all over the United States, one would think the nation was stuck in the Victorian period by the way many respond to public breastfeeding. Women have been removed from malls, restaurants and airplanes merely for nursing because others found the act to be lewd and offensive.
The culture of the United States is full of contradictions and in no area is this more apparent than in the portrayal and view of the female body. The most visible and obvious concept of femininity is that women's bodies are sexual objects that should be flaunted.
We are bombarded with this objectification of women from all angles, including television, movies, fashion, and general societal expectations. In recent decades women have even been encouraged to use this to their advantage, finding power in flaunting their sexuality.
On the other hand, we as Americans have inherited the concept that the female body is shameful and therefore something to keep covered. Therefore, many people believe that women who prominently display their sexuality aren't taking power or showing pride in their bodies, but are loose and immoral. This idea has certainly been handed down from previous generations and stems from the religious traditions in which much of the history of the United States is rooted.
Nothing better epitomizes these oppositional views of women's bodies than the debate over public breastfeeding, as it is often thought either to be provocative and sexual or something shameful that only should be done in private.
However, when judging breastfeeding, it seems society forgets the true function of breasts—not to be sexual objects but to feed and nourish infants. The fact that even today no formula milk matches the nutrition and benefits of breastfeeding proves how natural the practice is.
In a Newsweek article, Karen Peters of the Breast Feeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles confirms, ""Our society doesn't recognize the functional use of breasts. It only recognizes the sexual aspects.""
We as a society have turned breasts into sexual objects and a nursing mother should not be punished because society has been taught to see breasts as nothing more. It is a product of culture and socialization when someone is offended by a mother breastfeeding and these social mores should not hinder a mother from doing what is natural and healthy for her child.
However, some Wisconsin lawmakers recognize the opposition and intimidation mothers face when nursing in public and have rightly taken steps to encourage and protect a woman's right to breastfeed. Though Wisconsin courts already recognize a woman's right to breastfeed in public, ""The Right to Breastfeed Act"" would make it so that people would face a fine if they harassed a breastfeeding mother.
It is common knowledge that breastfeeding is healthiest for babies, from both a nutritional and an emotional standpoint and, if passed, this law would help society begin to realize that breasts serve more than a merely sexual purpose.
A woman should be able to nurse in public without being leered at or judged as being immodest. Perhaps passing this act will also remind society that in general it is a woman's choice and right to decide what she wishes to do with her body and how to use her sexuality, without being judged from either end of the spectrum.
