7.28.2006

Egads! A Breast!

Zuzu at Feministe informs us that this magazine cover is causing quite a stir among the "what’s that baby doing attached to my object of sexual fetishization?" crowd. Oh dear. I’m not one to make essentialist arguments about what is natural for women, or what our bodies were designed to do, but I think it’s fairly obvious to most sane people that breasts have both function and form, and that’s why they’re so fucking cool.

I have to wonder about people who see images like the one above and immediately see something dirty and debased. Are they unable to contextualize? Do they not have any mothers in their lives? That looks like one happy, healthy baby and the curve of that woman’s breast (Look Ma! No nipple!) is aesthetically pleasing to say the least. I fear for society when the image of a child enjoying a meal causes an uproar while your average magazine stand looks like this.

Labels: Feminism, Fundies Say The Darndest Things

annamaria at 10:56 AM

2 spoke

2 Comments

at Monday, July 31, 2006 11:31:00 AM  Wake of the Flood said...

To be honest Annamaria, you'd have to acknowledge that the folks that are in a tizzy over the BabyTalk cover would never see the Rolling Stone, Maxim, etc. covers as acceptable. But I do AGREE with you, with the level of sexualized imagery in the media, why on earth is anyone going to say anything about this picture? You got it right -- they're totally incapable of understanding context. Besides, WHAT is wrong with this photo in the first place other than that 8 year old boys are going to get all excited about it. Just like they do over the pictures in the encyclopedia and National Geographic, etc., etc.

We've got too many male leaders in this country who never reached their teen years, let alone adulthood, and female leaders alongside them who view the world as those boys mommas.

 

at Monday, July 31, 2006 12:53:00 PM  annamaria said...

Right, there seems to be an inability by far too many people to view anything in gradations. All sin is equally bad. All images of tits are equally disgusting.

There seems to be a special place in the public discourse for breastfeeding, though. Honestly, women should not have to protest Starbucks management to feed their kids, or have to hide themselves in bathroom stalls so as not to offend the delicate sensibilities of leering men.

And while I'm righteously angry here, let me go off on a completely unrelated to Wake's comments tangent about the word discreet, okay? I'm so sick of women being told that they need to be discreet when breastfeeding in public. I've been around all kinds of mommas, and never once have I seen indiscreet breastfeeding. My sister-in-law once joked that it's not like she's going around flashing her tatas and asking if anyone would like some milk in their coffee.

And I won't even get started on the wedding-ring-bearing, family-portrait-on-the-desk-having asshole who asks all the queers to be discreet.

Discreet is up there with "tolerance" for words I want removed from the English language. /rant

 

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