Thursday, July 27, 2006

Don't show me your breasts

   So, I'm browsing through my news feeds, and I come across this article: 'Breast' cover gets mixed reaction - Yahoo! News. Well, if there's one way to get my attention, the word 'breast' is it. The article is somewhat surprising in that the referred to breast (nipple occluded by a nursing infant) appeared on the cover, not of some tawdry girlie mag, but of babytalk magazine.
"I was SHOCKED to see a giant breast on the cover of your magazine," one person wrote. "I immediately turned the magazine face down," wrote another. "Gross," said a third.

These readers weren't complaining about a sexually explicit cover, but rather one of a baby nursing, on a wholesome parenting magazine — yet another sign that Americans are squeamish over the sight of a nursing breast, even as breast-feeding itself gains more support from the government and medical community.

Babytalk is a free magazine whose readership is overwhelmingly mothers of babies. Yet in a poll of more than 4,000 readers, a quarter of responses to the cover were negative, calling the photo — a baby and part of a woman's breast, in profile — inappropriate.
   It really isn't that surprising a response, when you think about it. We are, after all, talking about a publication distributed in the United States, where they are only a couple of years shy of putting pant legs back on pianos. I would have thought the negative response might be much higher, seeing as we are told that 75% of Americans believe in some form of God, and modifying great works of art.
   I was about to click through to the next entry when one line, halfway down the article caught my eye:
Ash, 41, who nursed all three of her children, is cautious about breast-feeding in public..."I'm totally supportive of it — I just don't like the flashing," she says. "I don't want my son or husband to accidentally see a breast they didn't want to see."
   Yeah, I had to read that again, too. In case you can't believe your eyes, let me reassure you, it really does say:
"I don't want my son or husband to accidentally see a breast they didn't want to see."
   A breast they didn't want to see. Like such a thing exists. I mean, we're men. We'll get our willies sneaking a peek at the withered, pancake, pygmy breasts in National Geographic if it's the only thing we can find. I can guaran-damn-tee you if a young woman on the street pops one out while we're walking by, we wanna see.

   Ok, so that's flippant. If I happen to walk by a woman on the street who's breast feeding, I'm not going to crane my neck for a better view or anything. I'll probably glance her way, realise what's happening, and look away, out of respect for her and her child. If I happen to see a flash of nipple, big deal. It's not like it's something I haven't seen before.
   Then again, I am a forty one year old married guy who's seen his share of breasts, both in mother nurturing child and...uh...other situations. I'm not some teen or twenty-something geek-a-zoid still dreaming of getting to second base one day for whom a flash of lactating breast would be the highlight of the month.
   But my outward circumspection doesn't change the fact that I'm still walking down the sidewalk, smiling to myself, and thinking, "heh, heh, heh...boobies!"

   My title for this entry? Hell, that's just me investing a dime in the hopes that reverse psychology crap really works.

tags: ,

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Correction - I'm half asleep over here. I meant to say there is only one reasonable answer but a male chauvinist pig or an imbecile would automatically assume a different answer.
Dianna

Anonymous said...

Yes.  We're a repressed people.  Canada!  Send us your tits!  

Seriously, it's embarrassing that this is such an issue here in the States.  

-Dan

Anonymous said...

I guess I just can't believe that people are so hung up on breast feeding in public. I don't see anything wrong with it as long as it's done tastefully (no pun intended) cover up a little and there shouldn't be a big deal about it. This was a good entry, you had me laughing a few times.

http://journals.aol.com/pookyluvsu/BehindHazelEyes/

Angela

Anonymous said...

Everytime I see something like this it just makes me sad. You can show all the violence you want on TV, but OMG, don't you dare show a woman nursing her child <shaking head> Sometimes you just want to choke people!

Anonymous said...

Paul, this was sad and funny at the same time. Sad that many people are still offended when they see a nursing infant. Yet, it's not the nursing infant that offends them as much as the nursing mother. If it was discreetly done, no one would ever notice, so it might be done more often than not. But your take is playful, not disrespectful. My husband thinks like you, and he respects women. I hope you are having a great week (at work, or wherever)! Bea

Anonymous said...

Boobs, we've all got them, just some are functioning larger ones and some aren't.

This 41 year old whinner is just jealous, probably because what she meant to say was, "I don't want my husband to "accidently" see a breast that looks better than mine."

Amanda :)
http://journals.aol.com/trickeytricky/CountryMyKindaLivin

Anonymous said...

Kudos to  astaryth's comment which truly hits the nail on the head!!!
Dianna

Anonymous said...

:ahem: From a man's point of view - it isnt distasteful on that cover; it exemplifies nature and reality. Its pretty pathetic we [society] must censor ourselves from OMG! a breast. Again, the context was tasteful in the sense it wasn't disrespectful to women or the birth process.  

Good find on the article!

.Joseph Manna.
Happenings -

Anonymous said...

Good gawd!!!
I had not previously had a chance to view the cover picture and had assumed that it was a little blatant or something therefore causing this stir amongst the anally restricted.
Now that I look at the picture, I realise that it is so tame that you could mistake the breast for a cubby arm or a butt cheek (although that might actually be offensive ;-).

I have never understood any of the breast issue (it being offensive that is).
When it involves feeding a child it as natural and non-sexual as it can get.

Talk about stupid extremes.

Last night I saw a show where a 5 year old boy gave a very involved description of what it meant to be homosexual. I don't begrudge anyone explaining this topic to their children, but at 5????
Seeing as sexuality is not even an issue at that age why stir up that mess?

Seems there are a lot of really confused people on both sides out there.

Brent

Anonymous said...

plittle---only in America,,,,when I lived in Hawaii I was 6 months pregnant...I was laying out in the beach in a G-string bikini with a big round belly,,,the women that looked at me, were shooting arrows,lol....the combination of purity in pregnancy and revealing the buttocks is to extreme for some,,lol....Its the same thing as the breast feeding thing,,,,,sensual isnt applied ,,,,Now, I wouldnt ware a G-string anywhere,,but everyone does in Hawaii,,,and in my whole life I never felt more beautiful than when I was pregnant,,,,well until the last two months and then I felt like a handicapped whale,lol.....I think people are ridiculous when it comes to thins,,,,When i see a mother breast feeding is naturally beautiful,,,,They should buy some National Geographic Magazines,,,photos of natrual take on nudity in Africa isnt the same as Playboy magazine

Anonymous said...

I never did get all the hubbub over breasts.  I got 'em, and I'm not impressed by 'em at all.  Tina

Anonymous said...

dear Paul,
when I first read this I focused ononly the physical. The second reading showed your compassion and caring about needless repression. thank you.
natalie

Anonymous said...

I breast fed my youngest son, and it was a wonderful, bonding, and amazingly easy experience.  I was also shunned somewhat but, as I overheard a doctor say, about me, "My sister was the same way, she would jerk it out anywhere..."  Until I saw my sister breastfeed her son, I thought breasts were just decorations.  It totally fascinated me, and I said, I'm going to do that when I have a baby.  I guess working as a CNA, human body parts no longer have the same effect on me.  I've seen more T & A than I can count, and basically, they all look alike.  

Anonymous said...

I agree, no such thing as a booby a man didn't want to see.  Respect for mom and child, yes, but still the little bell goes off in the male brain... the heh heh heh boobies, bell.

be well,
Dawn