I had been vaguely aware of people being bothered by public breastfeeding, but not until the advent of social media did I realize just how much of a "thing" it was. I think moments like this is why the hashtag, #onhere was created for Twitter. Because only "on there" do I see most of the debates about it. But, there are real people behind Twitter and even though the internet provides "safety" behind anonymity, it's also a reflection of real life.
So, in what may add a bit of fuel to this fire, Olivia Wilde posed for a picture in Glamour Magazine's September issue, breastfeeding her son, Otis. She confirmed that her reasoning behind agreeing to include this particular photo is that, "…any portrait of me right now isn't complete without my identity as a mother being a part of that." Word, Olivia.
Like, I get it. Boobs are sexual. They aren't ONLY sexual, though. They're not even PRIMARILY sexual. Okay, folks are uncomfy seeing it. Fine. My beef with folks complaining about public breastfeeding is that it's easier for you to look away and mind your own Burts Beeswax than it is for the mother to go all out of her way to hide the fact she is FEEDING HER CHILD from your whiny eyes. *sunglasses fall from sky* Deal with it.
The photos are beautiful and I'm glad more mothers are embracing every aspect of motherhood. And Baby Otis is chubby-cheeked and adorable. Always here for that. So in this vein, we ARE coming to see you, Otis. Let them eat boob.
Roll Call is a daily collection of interesting news stories, articles, blogs, and thinkpieces, curated by Tonja Stidhum and Natalie Degraffinried. They both have big hair, but they are not the same person.