So apparently some a**hole judge in Michigan told a woman in his courtroom that nursing her 5-month old was “inappropriate.” 

Let’s get this straight people…

THIS, while a terrible photo of me, is not inappropriate.

It’s completely normal and natural, and for infants under 6 months, necessary.

If you don’t want to see a mother breastfeeding her child, DON’T EFFING LOOK AT HER.  How hard is that?

And please don’t give me this whole “well, she could cover up [btw, the woman in Michigan was using a cover]” argument.  Would you like to eat your meals under a hot, dark piece of fabric? No? Then don’t tell me to make my baby eat that way! And do not even try to tell me to go into the BATHROOM.  Same argument.

In the 2+ years I nursed Ruby, I only went into a restroom once to nurse her and that was because an obviously developmentally delayed teenage boy was freaking out about me nursing her in a very crowded restaurant and it made ME uncomfortable. I mean there was serious staring happening, and some loud commentary (not mean, just more like “WHOA MOM LOOK!”)  and since he was obviously not able to control it, I felt that it was up to me to take control of the situation. Other than that, if people had a problem with me nursing, I was ready for a fight about it.

Never got one, much to Ajax’s relief.  But I will fight for any nursing mother’s right to feed her child in public.

We live in LA. Land of T & A and yet in a restaurant in Universal City Walk last year, a mom was asked to leave the restaurant because she refused to a) stop nursing and b) cover up.  She was absolutely within her legal rights to nurse her child at the table uncovered, but the manager didn’t know that.  Sadly for him, the mom was a member of a very large, very pro-breastfeeding email list and the restaurant got a load of emails and a nurse-in. They quickly changed their policy.  This restaurant, by the way, is in the same mall where you can see ads like this:

or movie posters like this:

It just seems to me that Americans are perfectly happy to view women as completely sexual objects, but God forbid we actually see a breast being used as God intended.

And I’m sick of it.  And after reading Morgan’s post last night, I’m more fired up about it than ever. People, please… for the sake of my daughter and yours, let’s work on honoring and empowering women in the media and in real life.  The only way this attitude will change is with you.

::stepping off my soapbox now::

/rant

Good night.