This post was written for inclusion in the Carnival of Nursing in Public hosted by Dionna and Paige at NursingFreedom.org. All week, July 5-9, they will be featuring articles and posts about nursing in public (“NIP”). See the bottom of this post for more information.
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Whenever breastfeeding in public comes up in the news, there are howls from certain individuals who claim that women are not being “discreet” enough, or at all. They cry that if we just follow their personal, arbitrary system of “discreet” we would not be hassled or bothered for breastfeeding. After all, they love breastfeeding, they know it’s best, maybe they even chose to breastfed themselves. They just don’t want to see it.
The problem lies in that everyone has their own idea of what discreet means. To some, a nursing top under a t-shirt provides more than enough coverage. To another, nothing short of hiding in the house with the curtains drawn shut will do. A blanket? A bigger blanket? An entire shoulder wrap contraption? Not here, not there, and certainly not anywhere children will be.
Imagine you leave the house in a nice skirt that you bought and love. Now every single person comes up to you with a ruler to measure just how much leg you are showing, and every one has their own idea of “too much”, but they’re all pretty sure you’re still showing it.
Well how about my personal belief on what is “discreet”? If I’m the one going to be breastfeeding, shouldn’t I get to say what is and is not discreet about my body? How about I start judging you every time you leave the house for wearing the wrong clothes in the wrong way? What, you wouldn’t like that? Go figure!
The idea of “discreet” is not a solid, fixed thing. There is no exact amount of skin that can be measured to show the line from being discreet to covered. And this goes beyond just breastfeeding. A woman at the beach in a bikini may feel her clothing is just fine, a woman in dressed in the full body covering suit may disagree. Miley Cyrus and Michelle Duggar have very different levels of discreet.
Nearly every breastfeeding mother is doing the best to be her level of discreet. Some may prefer to cover, or leave the room, or just stay home. But not all. And not every person is going to have the same ideas about what is “discreet”. We don’t need a universal standard on what is discreet breastfeeding. You just need to understand that as shocked as you may be to see a little boob, someone else is probably equally shocked about your arms or legs bare. Are you discreet by everyone’s standards, or just your own?
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Welcome to the Carnival of Nursing in Public
Please join us all week, July 5-9, as we celebrate and support breastfeeding mothers. And visit NursingFreedom.org any time to connect with other breastfeeding supporters, learn more about your legal right to nurse in public, and read (and contribute!) articles about breastfeeding and N.I.P.
Do you support breastfeeding in public? Grab this badge for your blog or website to show your support and encourage others to educate themselves about the benefits of breastfeeding and the rights of breastfeeding mothers and children.
This post is just one of many being featured as part of the Carnival of Nursing in Public. Please visit our other writers each day of the Carnival. Click on the links below to see each day’s posts – new articles will be posted on the following days:
July 5 – Making Breastfeeding the Norm: Creating a Culture of Breastfeeding in a Hyper-Sexualized World
July 7 – Creating a Supportive Network: Your Stories and Celebrations of N.I.P.
July 8 – Breastfeeding: International and Religious Perspectives
July 9 – Your Legal Right to Nurse in Public, and How to Respond to Anyone Who Questions It
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