Why Breastfeeding in Public Is Still Not Accepted Everywhere

My article is about how breastfeeding is publicly shamed and experts think that mothers should be able to breastfeed in public without the worries of people criticizing them for either inappropriate behavior or just for being disgusting. In the article, it states “Breastfeeding moms have been asked to cover up at pizzerias, confronted at malls, singled out on flights and booted from water parks.” This shows how breastfeeding is not accepted everywhere.

My article doesn’t describe one single person but it talks about all breast feeding mothers in general. Some say if you want a baby to be quiet, people should let them eat and many babies eat and get nutrients from their mother’s breast milk. For example, babies tend to cry on flights and it helps them calm down by drinking milk. Many also think breastfeeding in public shouldn’t be allowed since breast are considered private. In my article, it states, “This is a 'purely cultural belief,' Escobar said. 'In a society where breasts are seen as sexual, the sight of a baby feeding at a breast can seem inappropriate.”Many women are shamed for doing these things to help their child grow. People that are shaming those women probably had breast milk when they were young and how would they like it if they weren’t allowed to have any milk. All states have passed laws saying that breastfeeding in public is totally legal but in some places, breastfeeding is still not publicly accepted.

This scenario is very similar to that in “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the book, “The Scarlet Letter”, Hester is being publicly shamed. In the book, it states, “Puritan, settlement, with all the townspeople assembled, and levelling their stern regards at Hester Prynne—yes, at herself—who stood on the scaffold of the pillory, an infant on her arm, and the letter A, in scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom...even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real.” This shows how the scarlet letter was a shame to her. She was forced to wear the scarlet letter for life since she committed adultery where she had a child with another man. This was her punishment.

In my other article, it shows a very similar case. The mother was punished for breastfeeding in a public pool area. In the article from the Washington Post, it states, “a lifeguard approached her and asked whether she was breast-feeding. She said when told him “yes,” he responded, “You can’t do that here.” … Shortly after Daugereaux declined to leave, she said, a police officer showed up.” This shows that the women had police called on her because she didn’t leave a public pool for breastfeeding. Even though the Texas law says that “a mother is allowed to breastfeed in any location the mother is allowed to be in.” Not only did the lifeguard violate the mother’s right to breastfeed there, he shamed her for doing such a thing. There were other families she probably knew and by calling the cops, the lifeguard is embarrassing her in front of possible friends and family. In the book, “The Scarlet Letter” instead of shaming Hester in front of friends, she was shamed in front of an entire crowd of people.

Although both of the situation have its similarities, it also has their differences. In Scarlet Letter, Hester is punished to wear it for her entire life. In the book, it states, “ Mistress Prynne to stand only a space of three hours on the platform of the pillory, and then and thereafter, for the remainder of her natural life to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom.” This shows how after she is shamed by standing in front of a lot of people with the scarlet letter, she has to wear it for life. However, in the Washington Post article, the punishment is only temporary since she was just kicked out of the pool, not jailed or anything like that.

I think public shaming is something that should never happen because I don’t think people should judge others based on their actions, especially doing something that is natural. I have learned that many things that happen in life are not publicly accepted nowadays. I do believe that breastfeeding in public should be allowed and the people should be able to accept that fact. It is a natural thing, and even though it might disgust a lot of people, it shouldn’t because that person that is judging probably drank breast milk when they were young. It really has changed the way I viewed public shaming since I really never realized the amount of people that are shamed for such petty things. I think people should focus on the bigger things and try to achieve bigger things in life rather than bring others down. I tend to not judge people about things that they cant really control such as their social status, race, religion and etc. But something people should judge others about are if their actions are wrong since we control our actions.