In a story printed in Tuesday’s Globe and Mail, Laura Blenkinsop considered the merits of various “nursing covers.” These apron-like garments allow a woman to nurse without exposing herself in public.
Nursing covers have become popular partly because of ongoing concerns about public breastfeeding. The article lists related incidents that have occurred in Canada over the last year, where breastfeeding women have been asked to move or cover up.
While it is easy to understand that some individuals might be uncomfortable seeing the breast or nipple of a stranger, it’s up to the individual to negotiate his or her discomfort. Women are allowed to breastfeed in public across Canada, with Ontario being one of two provinces to have a specific law encoding this freedom.
Some believe that a woman exposing her breasts in public is in some way indecent or sexually explicit. These individuals must acknowledge that these are personal values which do not impact the decisions made by others. Women breastfeeding are not exposing their breasts as a sexually gratuitous act—and even if they were, going topless is not a crime.
Unfortunately, there is a great disparity between theory and reality. In theory, the public must respect a woman’s right to breastfeed in public. In practice, women who do so will likely encounter problems at one point or another.
Some individuals insist that the nursing covers are easy to use, and that women should consider the feelings of those around them out of politeness. Many are quick to point out that they have an equal right to be made uncomfortable by a woman exposing her breasts in public. While discriminatory or hostile behaviour cannot be tolerated, signs of silent censure—pursed lips and looks of disapproval or shock—are an unfortunate reality.
The presence of designated breastfeeding areas in some spaces further complicates the issue, as opponents to public breastfeeding sometimes pressure—or harass—women into using these spaces, taking the “designated” status as obligatory. These spaces exist to accomodate a woman’s needs, not the delicate sensibilities of the public. This uneasy situation means that women who breastfeed publically must weigh the strength of their convictions against the possibility of public backlash. Some will choose to avoid tension and disapproval. Other will act upon the rights they possess, and face varying degrees of strife along the way. This is far from an ideal choice. For the moment, however, it is the most realistic one.
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