Boobs out for Kochie.

I know everyone on the interwebs has already had a thing or two to say re: our old friend and well known wit and raconteur David Koch and the public breastfeeding thing, and I thought about not mentioning it, but I changed my mind so get ready for my two cents even if it isn't very original.

If you don't know what I'm referring to read it here.  Also I feel the need to add the caveat that I don't care if you bottle feed your baby, people have good reasons, but breastfeeding is really important to me and I feel strongly about it and about creating a culture of public acceptance.

I think for me it was actually today, when he tried to sort of apologise in a half arsed way, that was worse than anything.

This article and also this one are written by people more articulate than I could ever be, but I still want to say this.

Kochie telling women that they should make sure they are being "classy" whenever they are breastfeeding their child, is to me another example of the larger general and commonly heald belief that no matter what a woman is doing, she must AT ALL TIMES be aware of her appearance.  She must always ensure that she is pleasing to the eye, whether she is walking around the shops, getting on a bus, reading the paper at a cafe, running a marathon or God forbid, whipping out a boob to feed a hungry/sad/tired/grizzly baby in public view.  Everything she does must be in full consideration of others and what they might think about how she looks. And frankly if she doesn't make an effort to adjust her appearance then what can she expect but public comment/criticism/ridicule, because didn't you know it is your feminine duty to LOOK GOOD/CLASSY/ATTRACTIVE probably even when you are DYING OF CANCER or bloody sitting on the toilet or anywhere.

What a crock.  This is such a big deal people! I am so mad about it I could just about scream. What he is saying is that it is ok to breastfeed, as long as you kind of look like Miranda Kerr, drape yourself in a peach coloured muslin wrap and retreat to another room to do it in a CLASSY way.  So I'm thinking he wouldn't be ok with a really fat woman with, say, a beard, a hunchback and monobrow exposing an enormous breast to feed her hungry child in the food court or wherever because I don't think she would fit in Kochie's gross little worldview.   But you know what?? That woman has every right to get her breast out in public, and who is he to determine what is "classy" and what isn't?

The other day at the shops a young hooligan wandered past me wearing a muscle shirt that exposed not one but both of his man boobs and nipples.   His breast tissue is apparently classy enough to be exposed to the world but mine isn't.

I can tell you now, people, that all this hoo ha makes me want to keep breastfeeding Baby B in public until he is 15, just to see the looks on people's faces.

Get your boobs out ladies! The more we see breasts doing what they should, in public, the less people will even notice! The more boobs the merrier! I have been guilty of skulking around the toilets/front seat of the car to feed my babies. Never again! No wraps or covers for me, I am going the whole boob out.

It's a boob people. Deal with it.