Today at 11am several breastfeeding mothers are staging a protest at Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado. Apparently, one breastfeeding mother was harassed by park staff. So she turned to the internet community and posted a rant on a pro-breastfeeding forum and now the incident has garnered state wide attention thanks to a local news station. These stories come up all the time actually but this one caught my interest because I grew up going to Elitch’s.
As usual, there are discrepancies between the mother’s story and Elitch’s version. While the mother says that security officers threatened to arrest her and kick her out of the park, the park says that the staff merely suggested some alternatives for breastfeeding more discreetly. (Like covering the baby’s head.) The park also said that their concern wasn’t so much about her breastfeeding as it was that she was exposed in such a way that it made other guests uncomfortable.
I’ve made no secret that I believe breastfeeding is best. I have also said you wouldn’t catch me at a nurse in although I actively support legislation that protects a mother’s right to breastfeed wherever she is. I think it is good etiquette for breastfeeding mothers to either cover up or go to a more secluded area to breastfeed when possible. But it’s not always possible. I also think that if you find that a woman breastfeeding makes you uncomfortable, it is your responsibility to leave or not look. Your making a scene of it really is fruitless and frankly, rude.
The one question I haven’t asked is why? Why the double standard? A breast that is exposed by breastfeeding is disgusting, and makes people uncomfortable so the mother is asked to leave or harassed. Yet there are a myriad of fashions with which I am uncomfortable so can I ask those offenders to leave too? If so, I am going to find all of the following people who commit these fashion crimes and ask them to cover up or leave:
*women who wear skirts that hardly cover their behinds
*women who wear string bikinis–especially when we’re not at the beach
*young men wearing their shorts half way down their rear end thus showing the world their underwear
*women who lack the foresight to wear underwear when they’re wearing a mini skirt (this fashion statement is quite popular in the city)
*women who wear tank tops without any kind of bra
*sheer blouses
*tops that not only show belly button but show the bottom of a woman’s breast
All of these fashions make me uncomfortable. Can I complain to the management? I suspect if I did, there’d be an outcry. Headlines would read, “Rude lady threatens freedom of expression. . .” But if we’re going to say that breastfeeding women make us uncomfortable then let’s say any type of exposure of the breast or other private area does as well. When establishments start kicking out all fashion faux pas that leave too much skin exposed, I will happily pack my breastfeeding bag and leave. Until then, let’s leave breastfeeding mothers alone.