Companies use billboards, TV commercials, magazine ads and even female restaurant employees who expose as much cleavage as possible — while, of course, leaving enough to the imagination to create a sense of mystery — to seduce men into buying their products, eating at their restaurants and seeking their services.
Men flock to Hooters not necessarily because their sauce-drenched wings are the best wings in town but because the women delivering their sports bar snacks to them are wearing tight, low-cut tank tops and push-up bras. But, Hooters is not the only company guilty of using boobs to attract male customers: fast food restaurants, casinos, car manufacturers, colognes, clothing stores and anything sports related profit off of the sex appeal of the female figure. As an advertising tactic, exposing the female body is socially acceptable because, as we all know, sex sells. However, the second a mother unbuttons her shirt in public to use her breasts for their intended biological purpose — to feed her hungry baby — it’s offensive and gross.
It’s no secret that female breasts are oversexualized. They are considered nothing more than sexual objects made for male enjoyment when, in reality, they’re just sacks of tissue of varying sizes that sometimes carry milk. However, because we attribute so much sexual value to breasts, when a woman feeds her baby in public, people feel uncomfortable, complain and even pressure the mother to cover up or head to a bathroom. Parents worry about explaining breastfeeding to their children. Men complain about how gross and uncomfortable breastfeeding is to witness. Other women condemn her shamelessness and lack of modesty.
Why does breastfeeding make people feel so squeamish? It’s a completely natural, totally normal process. There’s nothing even remotely sexual about breastfeeding, and, those who believe there is are kind of gross for sexualizing a motherly interaction between a woman and her baby. Even our crazy conservative Florida legislators agree: public breastfeeding is completely legal. It is not considered a form of public indecency, a crude lascivious act or a form of sexual conduct. But, because there is no enforcement clause to protect mothers’ rights, mothers are still vulnerable to harassment and criticism when they choose to feed their hungry babies in public.
Maybe it’s just my personal preference, but if I’m in a restaurant, on a plane or in a store and a baby starts screaming out of hunger, I wouldn’t care if the mother chose to feed her fussy child immediately and publicly. I’d just be grateful that she silenced the high-pitched crying as soon as possible. Besides, usually women in scantily clad clothing or women in ads show so more cleavage than breastfeeding mothers ever do, but people don’t look at those women with the same degree of disgust. Regardless, it should ultimately be the mother’s decision to feed her baby wherever and however is most convenient for her and in whichever way she feels most comfortable doing so.
