Saturday, August 5, 2006

The Descent Into Puritanical Hell

Tell me, especially the moms out there, what's wrong with this picture:

I'll tell you what I think is wrong with it: NOTHING
I'm a mother that breastfeed her baby. What I see is natural and beautiful. It's a great photo that shows love and bonding between a mother and her baby. From what I read apparently I'm in the minority among moms out there.
Read this article from Baby Talk magazine to see what I mean.
Women all over the country were outraged by this cover. Words like disgusted and gross were used by some.
Sex was read into it. Have people gotten so uptight that they have forgotten what things like breasts are for? Have breasts become such a universal fetish that we can't see the true splendor in them? What we see above is a breast doing what nature intended. We are mammals, therefore we feed our young with milk.

What has this regime of reactionary idiots done to us? What are we becoming? What things about ourselves are we forgetting? This hypocritical puritanical society sometimes drives me mad.

12 comments:

single gal said...

good on you debbie!
i fully agree with you.
those that complained about the magazine cover should try looking at teen magazines - they have more problems over there.

DESIRE X said...

It's hard to believe the extremes that some women go to in their fear. That's the only excuse I can come up with. They fear their own womanhood. They want to hide away in a dark closet the very essence of what it means to be a woman.

This is a beautiful statement of femininity. I'm so proud of you for speaking out!

What's next? We stop breastfeeding altogether because it's gross?

This seems to put some sexual connotations on the act of breastfeeding... and THAT is gross! Any woman who is so warped as to see breastfeeding as a sexual thing is sick.

One thing I love about Europe is walking through the park and seeing mothers breastfeeding right out in the open. No one even gives it a second thought. Only Americans seems to be so caught up in feminine repression that they disregard nature and what is part of the cycle of life.

You're beautiful Debbie.
You make me proud to call you sister.

HER

DESIRE X said...

I almost forgot.

This part of the article made me snort coffee out of my nose.

"Another reader said she was "horrified" when she received the magazine and hoped that her husband hadn't laid eyes on it."

I feel so sorry for that woman's husband!

What are these women afraid of?

HER

Anonymous said...

I don't see what the big deal is especially since the photograph was done in profile. People should be able to tell when something is erotic and when it is not. It just shows how backward thinking we are as a country.

Dee's Husband Joe said...

Funny that you brought this up, Deb, 'cause I had a blog entry all ready to fly about it last week and then I chickened out of posting it 'cause I thought too many folks would miss the utter satirical intent. I was going to suggest that each woman who wants to breast feed in public appear before a committee that would present her with a certificate to deem her tits worthy of public display if indeed they are.

Sorry, ladies, but I was nearly traumatized for life at the tender age of 26 when Dee's sister whipped out one of her behemoth boobies in the in-laws' living room many years ago to send me shrieking into the kitchen in a panic. It was like one of those frightening looking women in National Geographic with her tits hanging down to her knees come to life!

Joe

Anonymous said...

So many good points have been bought up here already...
The idea of repression and fear of femininity (both by men and women). I agree 100%.

Fear comes from ignorance.

Let's all keep educating people!

Anonymous said...

See, the thing that gets me about the picture is that it isn't even obviously a breast. It could be an arm!

As a mommy with pretty much all mommy friends right now, I've seen sooooooooooo many breasts used for their normal purpose. It's a beautiful thing.

Anyone who would get upset about this cover or breastfeeding in general has completely lost touch with what breasts are for.

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm... the first thing I noticed was the cute baby. :)

In my area breastfeeding, is the thing to do. Matter of fact, it can get so bad here, that if you don't breastfeed, you are looked upon as a bad mom. Sometimes you just can't win... :)

Regardless, I totally agree with your post. Well said. I just found your blog, I'm enjoying going through the archives.

Sage

O said...

What a great post and what great comments. Debbie, I couldn't agree with you more, and i think late starter hits the nail on the head. The US is such an odd country in many ways, this weird mixture of puritanism and lewdness both.

thanks for this.

kisses,
O

Al Sensu said...

What a sick and hypocritical society we have become.

Let's celebrate breasts, their natural beauty, regardless of shape or size, their role in feeding the young and in bringing sexual and sensual pleasure to women, and the men and women who love them.

Anonymous said...

Al...
I like that you use the word 'celebration'...exactly!

I have always thought that breasts are the universal fetish and that they are loved in many ways.

I have experienced both and both are wonderful in their own ways....
The full belly off my infant daughter or the expert love that CJ gives them to make me wet...
Both should be celebrated and loved.

Anonymous said...

I too did a blog on this about a week to 10 days ago, with a humorous twist (at least intended to be humorous). Whew, talk about puritanical! I think it's in our American culture, through and through -- though we think we're beyond it.
Laugh. Or ....
Else.