Breasts. When the topic is addressed, the most prevalent images are commonly Victoria’s Secret’s pneumatic blondes and Kate Upton gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated, scantily clad in a string bikini. These are but a few examples of the same beauty standard which enters one’s mind as the topic of female breasts is discussed. However, the most natural of these images is one of the most unacknowledged- motherhood. This is largely, due to a large focus on male-centred porn-warped culture and it’s the cause of major debate about whether it is appropriate for mothers to breastfeed their children in public, which is largely incorrect.
In late 2015, Alyssa Milano, an actress on the TV series Mistresses, sparked much debate when she posted a picture on her Instagram account, in which she was breastfeeding her daughter. Within hours, the comment section on the picture was filled with vilification of her sharing of the image. Many complained that the picture was not appropriate to be shared on a public platform such as Instagram and as the issue gained widespread social media attention, all conversation stemmed from and boiled down to one key idea. This is the idea that women’s breasts are inappropriate and this is largely related to the fact that they are associated with sex and attractiveness to males.
The main proponent of this idea is male-centric, porn-warped culture. It is this same culture which makes it easier for international media to uphold consumerism as a system which is in partnership with patriarchy. This is apparent in the sexualized portrayals of women such as Charlotte McKinney in advertisements for foods and other non-sexual products.
Furthermore, this culture plays a significant role in the gross misunderstanding of the feminized body as it only sees it as an object and product with which to sell things. Case in point being the incorrect, or rather, the misconstrued interpretation of breasts’ function on a woman’s body in modern mass media. It’s completely informed by an androcentric sexual fetish. According to Freud’s definition, a fetish is feelings of sexual arousal towards objects of body parts which are not inherently sexual. The male focus of the fetishization of female breasts is apparent in the fact that sculpted abdomens and Adam’s apples and other male features that females find attractive are not treated as things to be covered or hidden such as breasts are.
Nevertheless, breasts, as defined in traditional anatomy, have one sole purpose for which they exist and that is food production. Still, there is a misunderstanding of this product that is created by the body. Milk is often regarded as and compared to a bodily fluid, such as semen, a confusion which aids the argument that breasts are as sexual as genitalia. However, breastmilk has hundreds of active ingredients like hormones which support growth and regulate behaviour as well as the exact ratio of iron to calcium to lipids that a human being needs, to which cow’s milk does not even come close.
Furthermore, what is deeply worrying is that with an increasingly westernized/ universalized society, these views are beginning to encroach on the ideals of African cultures. These are cultures which had previously been undermined for viewing breasts according to their purpose. Perhaps the result is that, now, in countries such as South Africa, I have personally begun to realize that you would be hard-pressed to find women in public spaces such as malls and restaurants breastfeeding their children unashamedly.
Ultimately, this is a matter of understanding and empathy because even without an analysis from a feminist or anthropological perspective it is about respecting each woman’s decision as to whether she wants to breastfeed or not. Lastly, if Iris M Young writes “Breasts are a scandal because they shatter the border between motherhood and sexuality,” and this sentiment encompasses the relationship society has with breasts, is it not perhaps time to challenge the fact that the former is one of the last things we associate with breasts.
The Womanist Discourse 