Selma Blair breastfed her kid in a very public place: The Grove in Los Angeles. The Grove is a large outdoors Disney-esque shopping center. There’s even a trolley, on which Ms. Blair took her breastfeeding break.
There are two arguments that are inevitably going to come out of this:
— Should women breastfeed in public?
— Is her son too old to be breastfed? (He’s 2.)
I think it’s no one’s business and I think women should breastfeed their kids wherever they damn well please, because it’s not about showing boob, it’s about feeding their hungry kid. (Shanna Moakler has a completely different view, calling breastfeeding “incestual.”)
Interesting that TMZ felt the need to censor the photo, while E Online didn’t.
So even though it’s no one’s business and it’s her choice, you know people are going to debate this anyway, so let’s just have it out.
What are your thoughts on breastfeeding in public? And at what point is a kid too old to be breastfed?
I think she should have worn a light nursing cover. Allow me to get my popcorn and watch fight. Go!
Nursing in public is totally fine. But she should have worn a nursing cover as a courtesy to others. Also, her son is way too old to be breastfed. teeth. ouch
Obviously most of the above commenters don’t have kids. Breastfeeding is normal well until toddlerhood, so 2 definitely is not too old. And why should she cover her child up? A toddler would rip the cover off anyway. Why should she cover her (barely visible) breast up? Teens are walking around with their butts hanging out of their shorts, and boobs hanging out their tops.
Teeth? Ouch? Pretty uninformed and stereotypical response. Babies begin to get teeth anywhere from 4-6 months of age. We don’t stop nursing when babies get teeth. And if baby wants to nurse, she/he doesn’t bite mommy. Pretty simple.
I don’t mind it with a cover, I just feel really uncomfortable in close proximity to anyone who has their tit out. By two, you need to be wrapping up the breast feeding. My friends who are still nursing children at that age (some well beyond) have some issues. Serious, if you ask me, but that is how they are choosing to raise their kids.
ewww too old, too old, too old!
I believe the World Health Org suggests it till 2 years old, longer in places where nutrition is dicey. I think on a trolley full of strangers is a little odd. Covers are just polite in that situation, especially since the child isn’t newborn. But whatever. I’m just glad Selma got away from the madness that is the Warlock.
It’s just fucking gross and rude to not at least use a cover up. I’m sorry, I know every woman is supposed to have the opinion that it’s totally fine and cool to whip it out, you’re feeding a child. I don’t care. It’s just impolite to other sensitivities.
I don’t understand how this even is a debate. The most used argument is that breastfeeding is insensitive to others around them, however nobody bats an eyelash with all the naked girls in advertising all over the place.
truth!
Agree!
Thank you. Someone commented about being uncomfortable around someone with their “tit out” but it’s really the contet in which the “tit” is out. Hardly anyone bats an eye if a female decides to expose her midriff or cleavage or more to look “sexy.
Preach it!
Excellent point!
I don’t care if your tits are out! It’s the creepy fact that you have a toddler with TEETH on your tit. Give him an animal cracker, geez.
She was in the very last row of the trolley. Nobody on the trolley had the angle to see him feeding except for the paparazzi and their intrusive lens off to the side. Ms. Blair and her son Arthur will be the ones to determine when he’s ready to stop breast feeding. As it should be.
Even I do not recover from the stupor that causes me this society so ignorant. American society in his element with his censures and stupid prejudices, sometimes I feel ashamed to be American. The funny part is that they are offended by seeing a breast, and then not scandalized when children are entering school with guns killing their classmates …..? this is really GROSS.
*sigh* Fucking momo.
I don’t think there’s a soul on earth who isn’t scandalized by children with guns. I don’t know who you are hanging out with… But bring American has nothing to do with this- learn how to debate a topic without changing the topic!!!
Americans are more conservative than other countries, is that such a terrible thing??
Americans are more conservative? That is ridiculous. You are one of the most sexualised nations out there. Pre teens are dressing provocatively and child beauty parents are a disgrace. All advertising as well as the music industry is highly sexualised. Only 13 of 190 countries in the world see breasts in a sexual way and many countries require women to cover their bodies, so who, in fact, are you more conservative than?
Child beauty pageants sorry
*being
Americans are so very strange…
There’s no debate. Breastfeeding is healthy, there’s nothing wrong with doing it publicly, and her child is not too old.
When I was a kid in 90’s, I used to see women breastfeeding in public (without nursing covers) and it never made me uncomfortable. If the act of nourishing a child makes you uncomfortable, that’s your problem.
The world health organization does recommend breast feeding to at least two. Shaming a woman for breast feeding in public is ignorant. A woman shouldn’t be ashamed to feed her child in public and calling it gross is a disservice to new moms who already worry about doing it in public. Requiring a cover isn’t practical in a lot of cases, some babies won’t feed under one and using one in the summer is rediculous. If you have a problem with breastfeeding you have issues… Like the kind of issues that get you registered on some kind of list. So grow up or don’t look.
I’ve never had a problem with women breastfeeding. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with breastfeeding a two year old. As someone else said, it is recommended that women breastfeed until that age, and older in certain countries. I find it odd that people say the child is too old because they have teeth. Just because you couldn’t handle, or imagine, doing it, doesn’t make it wrong. The decision on when to stop breastfeeding, where to breastfeed and how to breastfeed should be left to the mother and child ONLY. No one has the right to dictate what a woman can do with her body, especially when it has to do with nourishing a child. I would much rather see a woman breastfeeding a 2 year old, then see a woman feeding their child formula (by their choice, not their body’s choice). Breastfeeding is what every single mammal does, and has been practiced since the dawn of mammals. It’s free and provides just as much, if not more, nourishment than formula. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT.
It’s nice to see so many supportive comments here. Yes, using a cover is sometimes not possible. Some children WILL NOT nurse under a cover (imagine eating under a blanket). And yes, it is a choice between mother and child and no one else. It’s a shame that there are more people upset about a woman breastfeeding a toddler than giving soda to a toddler.
I don’t get all the fuzz with seeing women breastfeed in public. The main function of breasts are for nourishing children, deal with it. The reason people became uncomfortable with it is because the breast had been sexualized and made to look as indecent when in fact it’s not. Covering a child while breastfeeding for the benefit of others so they wont be uncomfortable is crazy, it’s like covering yourself up when you’re eating in public.
Bottom line: we need to stop judging all the moms in this world who are just doing what they think is the best for their babies. Since becoming a mom, my eyes have been opened to all the things you can potentially be judged for BY OTHER MOMS. You guys. Stop it. Support each other, learn from each other.
If the kid doesn’t have teeth, I would breast feed any damn place I wanted to. Breasts have been so sexualized that people get freaked out seeing them using for any other purpose than bikini top decorations.
I breast fed the boy for two years, three months. For clarification’s sake, he was sucking on my boob, not chewing it. So far, the only difference I’ve noticed between him and other six year olds is he gets sick less often then most of them do. Really, breast feeding at two is no big deal. The boy doesn’t even remember it, given the resent questions I answered about my breasts for him when we saw another woman breastfeeding her child. We stopped when we were ready, despite many people’s discomfort when I fed him publically at the toddler stage and weening was easier because of it. I have no regrets and feel closer to my boy because of breast feeding.
Folks, the human body is supposed to be beautiful. A child nursing is the most natural action. A mother feeding her hungry child can happen anywhere. And hello! There are sites online that glorify the mothers breatfeeding their babies. Doing it in public is a natural and acceptable duty for the childs health. If she were starving the child I think all of you would be seriously horrified! But her feeding her child on a bus in the back is very natural. And to the neighsayers, imagine the baby unfed and screaming at the top of his young lungs. Wouldn’t that be more unacceptable?
Having your period is also a natural thing. Doesn’t mean I want to see you whipping out your tampon whilst on a trolley.
Don’t get all pious and act like she’s saving this kids life right now. Just give him a pacifier or just put a thin cover over you. Yes, it’s a totally normal thing that women do, doesn’t mean everyone wants or needs to see it. I don’t see what the big deal is with taking other people’s feelings into consideration.
A tampon is not a natural thing. A better analogy would be bleeding is natural. However, then we would need to say, if you fall and cut yourself don’t bleed infront of me. Cover up until the bleeding stops. Massive head injury, losing litres of blood- cover up! See how ridiculous that sounds. Oh and if you do want to add man made products such as tampons into the argument then why not include bottles and pacifiers. They offend some people too. There is a lot of controversy in regard to the safety not only of the plastic the bottles are made from, plus water quality ( fluoride) and bacteria from poorly cleaned bottles but more so of the quality of formula and the dangers or consuming it.
I agree with those who suggest a cover. If you do not want to see a chld nursing you can discretely cover your head.
No one has the right to judge. Personally I would cover up or at least attempt to, but that just me. Everyone has the right to breastfeed as they please. No one tells men with bigger tits then women to cover up. If you don’t want to see it then don’t look. Its really not that big of deal. 2 years old seems to old to me but if she wants to do it then good for her. Its her decision and she shouldn’t be judged for it. A breast is a breast, really just fat.
I would rather see a mom breastfeeding her baby if it means the kid won’t cry. Not only is breast milk exceptionally beneficial for the child’s health, but it promotes bonding and is a source of comfort for the infant (hence the quiet part).
Not to mention, formula is expensive and BM is always readily available.
I must add that the decision should be completely up to the mother without judgement.
I can’t believe the number of women hating on other women. We need a culture of support, not one of tearing each other down. She is feeding her child – there should be no debate. Next time you eat a sandwich on a bus, I’ll ask you to eat under a thin blanket because it offends me.
People need to relax about it. Get over yourselves, it’s just a boob.
We humans say we are evolution, the best creature on earth, our power, the bombs, the wars… Oh, the guns, how great we are… but all that “great” things become misery when we do not accept our natural being. So little thing we are that we feel fear in front of our natural truth.
We are not great, we are hipocresy and antinatural minds. Thats what happens.
Something so pure, so beautiful, Life… and some are against this. Human beings are absurd.
First of all, all you “get over it” people are typical liberal selfish jerks. How about this? People like guns…get over it. People don’t like having government run their health care….get over it. Or, I’ll just do it your way: I’ll do whatever I want and if it offends you, get over it. Not so nice now, is it? Cover yourself if you know you can offend others or be prepared to deal with negativity…get over it. Right?
Also…The Grove is not in Los Angeles. It’s not even in Los Angeles COUNTY. I know, because I live five minutes drive from it, and Los Angeles is 35 miles+ from here.
Look at that! It’s one of those “holier than thou” conservatives. It’s strange that in your mind, it’s okay for people to tote around guns in public, but it’s not okay for a woman to feed her child in the most natural way in public.
In your comments you kept using the word ‘people’ as if it only referred to conservatives. Guess what? Liberal isn’t a dirty word nor are liberals the only selfish jerks, despite your arrogant Fox News mentality. Lots of ‘people’ own guns besides conservatives. Lots of people are for a smaller government and less government waste besides conservatives. Liberals want what’s best for all people, especiall those that cannot afford health insurance or afford to get a better education. Liberals have rational views — unlike conservatives — because they have a firm foot-hold in reality, meaning that they don’t live in a bubble. Liberals have the ability to see what’s beneficial for the majority rather than hold on to beliefs that provide only for the well-to-do or the rich. Liberals don’t believe in the trickle down affect of giving more to the rich so hat they’ll make more jobs for the poor. Liberals realize that maybe their great-grand-ancestors were misinformed when they believed certain things to be true — like slavery or that women should walk two paces behind their man, or that a woman’s place is in the kitchen, or that blacks and women don’t have the right to vote, or that an eye for an eye was a good law. Those are conservative views that liberals changed and that made the world better for everybody. Liberals made Social Security happen so that nobody must work for the rich until the day they died and that they wouldn’t lose their job just because the got sick and couldn’t temporarily work. Liberals made medicare available so that nobody had to lose their home and life’s savings to pay for their hospital stay. Liberals made it possible that poor kids didn’t have to be drafted into the military to fight a rich man’s war. Liberals provided services for the weak and destitute rather than allow them to crushed under the boots of the well-to-do and affluent. Actually, conservatives have benefited just as much from liberal policies — like voting rights — so, remember that the next time you enter a voting booth vote your conscience.
Rick, you really should go back to school, you are woefully misinformed. Many things you attribute as “conservative” were actually because of the Democratic party. It was Democrats that brought us Jim Crow laws, it was Democrats that filibustered the Civil Rights Act. It was southern democrats that gave us the klan. Out of the 9 states that voted against giving women the right to vote, 8 were Democratic. Dude, you are stupid on a galactic scale….
Women should be able to breastfeed in public.
I feel if you are old enough to ask for the boob you are too old to be breastfeeding.
And finally…I will totally be beating off to this later.
I don’t care why your boob is out. I will hold up a newspaper to block out the kid. A man’s gotta have a code.
personally find it repulsive. don’t care that it’s “nourishing’. go do it in private. it’s bad enough to walk into the ladies room and see that crap. just wish they would stay home or bring a bottle.
There’s nothing wrong with breastfeeding your child in public and if you have a problem with that then you need to ask yourself why! I think It’s up to the mother at what age she continues to breastfeed her child although personally I think as soon as a child can eat and digest solids then breastfeeding is non-essential.
This debate reminded me of the following sketch:
http://youtu.be/AOfI48IWESo
If your uncomfortable with a mother feeding her child in public in the most natural way possible you should have to wear a blanket over your head.
I’m just going to leave this link here: http://www.upworthy.com/as-a-man-i-loathe-that-we-could-demean-women-this-way – it’s essentially a spoken word video about how mothers feel ashamed of breastfeeding because of how others judge them.
I can’t help but think people who take offence to breastfeeding would have no issue with walking past an “artsy” nude, or a lingerie campaign advert. Every mammal has breast fed since the dawn of time so why should women be made to feel ashamed? If you find it uncomfortable, maybe you should grow up.
Breast feeding is extremely important for the development of newborns, and I encourage all moms to breast feed. However there is some controversy as to how long a mother should breast feed. The standard is to breast feed for the first year of the baby’s life, that is when it is most beneficial the baby receives the nutrients, hormones, etc. that they need, after that there is no proven benefits. So at 2 years + of age = creepy. Your kids should be increasing their diet into regular food. Just a professional nurses opinion.
Where did you get your degree? The local street corner? Perhaps if you had studied more and spent less time reading gossip sites you would have given a more intelligent reply. Shame on you. If you are going to flaunt your credentials perhaps you should do a bit of research before giving us your PROFESSIONAL edict. As a retired research scientist with 2 degrees and 30 years of experience, I can tell you that breasts are for one thing and one thing only – feeding young. In my OPINION, feed your child where you want, it is no ones business but your own. Stop trying to pervert something that is innocent and natural. Unfortunately that is the way of the world today, breastfeeding is now is nasty and creepy while blatantly sexual advertising and TV (some using young children) is considered to be no problem. Go figure.
Wow, just your professional opinion huh? That doesn’t sound passive aggressive at ALL!
Good god – let them woman feed her baby (yes, sorry – he is still a baby) when and where she pleases. If you are uncomfortable then YOU are. Avert your eyes. There is nothing wrong with this in the slightest.
It comforts, makes them feel secure and safe and if she wants to do it, she wants to.
I am always hearing people say “this is America, land of the free” EXCEPT if you want to do something that doesn’t hurt or affect ANYONE and is slightly left of the norm. UGH.
Hey, lots of people have sucked Selma Blair’s tits. Why shouldn’t her own kid have a go at it?
there will alvays be people having issues about something, no matter what it is. I beleave that it whas not that many years ago breastfeeding whas recommended up to 3,5 years of age. There are the bennefit of bonding and comforting as well as the nourising. And what about the increasing of allergies contra shorter times of breastfeding. there are studies and opinions that suggests that there can be connection there.
About breastfeeding in public , that is even simpler than when the wrong tune is played at the radio ,or when the wrong programe is on the tv,you just have to turn your head the other way.
So murdering your baby through abortion is acceptable in our society, but nourishing them through breast feeding in public is looked down upon with disdain. Get your priorities straight human race. For shame.
Shut the fuck up.
So true, RH. Just look at the reply from M. That shows you just how perverse the moral police are. They hate it when you use logic. It makes them very angry….
REALITY CHECK, PLEASE! Excuse me, but why do women have breasts in the first place? That’s correct. To feed their young. Who decides when it’s best to stop? The mother and child — that’s who! So what if it’s in public and that it makes some people blush or feel peculiar? And why should they feel ashamed or cover themselves up to placate the squimish? Some people feel odd watching a woman eat a banana or a hot dog. But, guess what? If it makes you uncomfortable — DON’T WATCH! And isn’t public breast feeding an issue mostly in the USA where the moral police have nothing better to do than to define the human body in deviant terms? Read the negative comments — from women, no less –and it’s clearly NOT merely a social issue but one that is vilified as perverse and disgusting. When I was a kid growing up in the Midwest during the 1950’s I swear I saw women breastfeeding their kids variously in public places (NOT all the time, true) enough to consider it a normal part of life. My own mother did it in church and so did other mothers. I never heard a peep out of the other parishioners (sure, some of us boys giggled). It’s when breasts are solely defined as sexual objects that they are made shameful. And that’s just sad. If we allow the pious to run our lives they’ll take their moral turpitude much farther and very soon it’ll be illegal for women to show their faces in public without a veil or a scarf to cover their hair. Think about it….
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