I don't watch much television and never saw the comments Barbara Walters made on The View last year about being "uncomfortable" seeing a mother breastfeed her baby on an airplane. Couple days ago, I stumbled across this
amazing clip. Jimmy Kimmel is officially my new hero.
7 comments:
Ha,ha,ha--that's awesome! :)
El Shaddai is the Hebrew name for God that translates to 'one of the nurturing breasts'. I hope that helps.
Hello! I ran across your blog from other blog crossings and certainly agree that a mother's (and baby's) right to BF in public should overshadow others' discomfort.
I nursed my daughter for 19 1/2 months, but never ran into a situation calling for nursing in a public place that left someone else uncomfortable. I thought it respected me, my daughter AND the public to be discreet about it.
My biggest issue concerning BF has to be the low percentage of women who continue beyond 6 weeks. 19% or so of US babies who are breastfed beyond six weeks is just unacceptable.
I guess I just find it sad all around that our advanced society is so harsh, close-minded and dismissive of such a basic human need.
I have a lactivism opportunity coming up and would love to discuss it with you. If you could please email me at ariana@breastfeedingisnormal.org
I just came across your blog and love it! I got fired up and wrote about this issue when we had a similar public nursing debate in my town. See http://www.mombo.org/300905.html for my opinion.
There is a great tshirt available from Great Starts Birth & Family Education in Seattle. It says: Breasts are for babies....not just beer commercials. I wear mine all the time and I get lots of reactions. Some rah-rahs and some shock and horror. I figure both are great. See http://www.greatstarts.org/bookstore.htm for the tshirt.
Tera
http://belliesbreastsandbabies.blogspot.com/
Thought you might be interested...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 31,2006
Contact:
Carrie Patterson
Executive Director, ProMoM.Org
http://www.promom.org
carrie@promom.org
678-513-6329
Popular Blogging Site Restricts Use of Breastfeeding Photos
LiveJournal cites breastfeeding images as 'inappropriate' and sends mothers to the virtual restroom
Women on the popular blog site LiveJournal are calling foul at the company’s decision to brand images of breastfeeding as ‘inappropriate.’ Many users of the site have joined together to urge LiveJournal’s parent company SixApart to address their concerns and reevaluate the policy.
Small "userpics" of no more than 100 by 100 pixels represent LiveJournal members throughout the site. Users can define one of these icons as "default icon" which plugs it into the user's public profile. These default icons were originally not permitted to be ‘sexually explicit or graphically violent.’ Recently, icons which depicted breastfeeding were cited as being ‘inappropriate’ by the LiveJournal abuse team, a group of volunteers who monitor complaints on the site. After clarification was requested, LiveJournal changed their FAQ to reflect a no nudity rule and is claiming that icons with visible areola or nipple are not permitted. Whether or not areola is visible in a photograph is dependent on a number of factors, including skin tone of the mother and physical changes during pregnancy.
Claimed Live Journal Abuse Staffer 'Erin' in a post on the site, "That's really a matter for the FCC to decide. LiveJournal's policies on this mirror what would be allowed on primetime TV or in a PG-13 movie." However, this is not true. The FCC does not consider the act of breastfeeding on television to fall under the definitions of indecency or obscenity.
Breastfeeding is exempt from nudity laws throughout the United States as well as countries such as Canada. Advocates are urging LiveJournal to adopt the same criteria. "It is regrettable that LiveJournal has chosen to target breastfeeding mothers instead of standing up for the protection provided them by law," says Carrie Patterson, executive director of ProMom.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing public awareness and public acceptance of breastfeeding. Advocates state that the feeling that breastfeeding should be hidden only fosters the idea that the natural act of nourishing a child is scandalous.
Breastfeeding bloggers who have refused to change their default icon have been suspended from the site. These users, as well as others questioning the policy, have been treated poorly by the site’s volunteer abuse team, something that is not unusual according to other site users.
More than 1,000 LiveJournal users complained, and SixApart issued an apology to the group. However, the company refuses to consider modifying their policy and continues to suspend users whose default icons are deemed inappropriate. Although LiveJournal stated a clarified rule, mothers are still reporting major inconsistencies in its application.
The breastfeeding debacle is only the most recent in a long line of incidents that have people wondering if the abuse procedures as a whole should be reviewed for fairness and propriety. Complaints have been raised about users' privacy, inconsistent enforcement of the Terms of Service, conflicting information and responses from abuse team members, and discourteous replies to users seeking clarification on the rules.
Activists are now working together to get this policy changed and to clarify the policies and procedures of the LiveJournal abuse team. While some are refusing to continue paying for the service, others have moved to different journaling websites to protest what they feel is a violation of their rights. For more information, contact Carrie Patterson at 678-513-6329 or carrie@promom.org or visit http://www.promom.org/bf_info/mp.html.
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I would love to hear what Jimmy Kimmel has to say about Baba Wawa and breastfeeding. But the link doesnt work anymore! Any details I can read?
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