Breastfeeding
In the soft-porn world of advertising we are subjected to every day, bare breasts are everywhere. But should a woman reveal a portion of one to feed her baby in a public place, she is likely to be confronted by embarrassment or disgust. Worse, she could find herself being told she should stop immediately or find a private place, like the women's toilets.
This double standard is being taken up by a group of women campaigning to have the right to breastfeed incorporated into human rights law. Their activities, which have included a public "feed-in" on the steps of the Sydney Opera House on April 28, come in the wake of an incident in Newcastle in which a woman was told not to breastfeed in the foyer of a cinema.
"It's an issue that people are really prepared to speak up about, and whilst most people agree that women have the right to breastfeed and should be able to breastfeed when and wherever they like, there is a very vocal minority who also think it's disgusting", Lesley Freedman, a campaign organiser, told Green Left. "So it was a good idea to make a protest, just to bring it out in the open."
Interestingly, the most vocal opposition has come from women, perhaps reflecting the extent to which women internalise society's ambivalence towards the overtly biological functions of their bodies, as well as the role of women in the socialisation process: from the outset, it is through their mothers and female relatives that a girl learns what is and isn't "nice".
"One of the radio stations recently had a reaction line on the issue of public breastfeeding", said Freedman. "The station said it was one of the heaviest responses they've ever had. People rang in thick and fast, and the people who objected to it were women, not a single bloke."
The breast's double life as sexual symbol and milk container is difficult to reconcile even for the most aware women. Freedman recounted her own experience:
"I'm 40. When I had a child 10 years ago, I couldn't breastfeed him, so it wasn't an issue when I was younger. Now I've had another baby, she's just a few months old, and I'm breastfeeding her. So at 40 it was suddenly an issue for me, I suddenly had to start baring my breast. I'd never done it before. I'm not in the habit of sunbathing topless or anything, and I'm a fairly modest person.
"To respond to the needs of my child in public has been a real issue for me, because I'm used to seeing my breasts as sexual things. To suddenly see them just as a feeding apparatus and respond in a straightforward way to my child without feeling embarrassed was very difficult. It takes a lot of getting used to.
"When we had the protest on the steps of the Opera House, it was the first time I'd ever done it in such an exposed way, I had to really overcome that inhibition. So I think it's a really sensitive issue for women. I don't think women are being exhibitionist about it; they are just responding to the child's needs." By Tracy Sorensen