I do adhere to my viewpoint that this is an issue of sexism because it's not just how women view the female breast, but men as well that influence this notion of a woman exposing her breast to feed her child as being "offensive". The fact that some women, as you pointed out, are saying outright that they don't want their husbands exposed to such a scene is indicative of a collective inability in both men and women to see the female breast as anything but sexual. And you're right – it is insulting to all husbands

In any case, I'm more than happy to throw a dad's perspective into this discussion. I just hope more fathers will come and participate in such discussions in the near future since it is important if we are to make any movement on overcoming this silly hang-up.

And thank you for coming by here to add some additional perspectives and food for thought on this subject.

How insulting to their husbands!

Anyway, I don't think it is really sexism so much as we've just been cut off from our bodies and the natural rhythms of things. It seems to be mostly women who go on the attack whenever the issue is brought up. And it is often women's groups that bring on waves of prudishness…although one could argue it is internalized sexism.

In this case, I think in the 70s, many educated women believed that breastfeeding tied them to their roles as moms and so, chose not to breastfeed in a misguided form of feminism. That, coupled with a belief that science (feeding formula) would provide better options, contributed to the idea your other commenter raised that breastfeeding was for the uneducated.

Anyway, thank you for adding a male and dad perspective to the mix of comments!

Well, I wouldn't say that we disagree; merely that you're pointing out that our society wasn't so narrow-minded when it came to the concept of women breastfeeding in public 50-odd years ago whereas I'm discussing more the here and now. After all, it's natural that social values/norms/whatever you wish to categorize it as change over time. Unfortunately, in this case, it seems that we've taken a few steps back instead of forward.

And thank you for coming by to shed some light on how our society was logically indifferent to the sight of a woman breastfeeding her child in public. I strongly believe that we shouldn't be so arrogant to think that as a society, we've evolved to the point that we can't learn anything valuable from humanity's collective past – whether it's 50 years ago or 5 000 years ago (view my entry here regarding the connection between Ramses II and Olympic medal tallies for some proof of that).

So I guess I'll have to disagree with your statement that we disagree, but also in the nicest way. And I'll also thank you for helping to educate others on the sociological history of this issue.

It's not that the rest of the world accepts biological realities and we don't, it's that North Americans have been conditioned over a VERY short period of time (the past 50-60 years) that nursing was first something that only poor people did (those who were not able to afford the best 'scientific' formula,) and therefore breast feeding wasn't done by polite women. That emphasis on scientific parenting coincided with the post-WWII obsession with breasts, and the new marketing efforts by the formula companies, to create a culture that stuffed nursing into the closets and behind drapes.

Prior to the 1950s women nursed EVERYWHERE in North America, from bus stations, the side of the road, in church, at the store, you name it, and it was as unremarkable as eating a Popsicle in public.

That's why it's so astounding–our parents and grandparents nursed and were nursed in public before there was such a construction as 'nursing in public.'

We have to get back to the way we used to be, the way the rest of the world already is (biological norms.)