Helen Mirren did the old English biddies proud. But would Calendar Girls have been the same hit with a babe at the breast?
The young moms in the Rugby Breastfeeding Cafe in Coventry are making breastfeeders the next pin-ups.
Organizer Rosie Evans’ says she wants to show breastfeeding moms are, “"young, trendy and sexy.” Those were her exact words. The moms will be posing while breastfeeding. Other members of the family will be gathered ‘round - full clothed, we hope. The money raised from the 2010 calendar will support breastfeeding causes.
Good cause? Absolutely. But I’m still on the fence about their modus operandi. I’ve always been a big proponent of women breastfeeding in public, but personally I'm uncomfortable with women who want to make it into a production.
Breastfeeding is natural. It’s something that can be done anywhere, any time a child needs sustenance. But I was always the “cover it up” girl. Am I prude? I don't look at it that way. Some people, especially men my father's age, are uncomfortable with women who won’t throw a blanket on or one of the dozens of funky cover-ups that have flooded the market because they don’t know where to look.
Do they need to have their restaurant experience or day at the park with the kids made awkward because you want to show the world you’re comfortable with your body’s job in mothering? I liken it to the reaction to someone with a lazy eye or a mole on their chin. It’s like a magnet – as much as you don’t want to stare, you find yourself concentrating too hard on not hurting someone’s feelings.
The flip side, of course, is that breastfeeding isn’t about sex. It’s about sustenance. And babies need food whenever, whereever. But don’t tell me you want to show you’re “sexy,” then defend your right to breastfeed in public because it ain’t about sex.
Of course, if you’re uncomfortable, you just don’t buy a calendar. I get that. And, hey, controversy sells calendars, right?
Source: Coventry Telegraph
Image: Ben Klocek
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