Well, I see that this thread is still gathering a wide variety of opinions!
Artists down through the ages have been captivated by the beauty of a mother nursing her child. Only in the last 100 years has the breast gone under wraps and been regarded as a purely sexual organ. (Even in the Victorian era, women breastfed openly--in church, none the less).
I am sorry that some find it offensive, but maybe you too will learn to see it as a beautiful act of nurturing instead of something that disgusts you.
I have a copy of Michelangelo's Virgin Mary nursing Jesus hanging in my home.
Here are some others:
An illuminated manuscript from the Middle Ages:
A 15th C. Woodcut Engraving
Louis IV and His Wet Nurse
Rembrandt's "Holy Family"
Impressionistic:
Modern:
I found one for Richie Rich:
Here are some thoughts from author Linda Sharp:
"Inevitably, at some point during your nursing . . . many points if you plan on having any semblance of a life . . . you will face the controversy of NURSING IN PUBLIC! There you are, walking calmly through the mall, enjoying being out in the real world, and the tiny bundle in the stroller erupts like Vesuvius. You recognize the cry as one of hunger. Your breasts recognize the cry (yes, your breasts have ears) and immediately begin to flow. I defy anyone to try to tell a hungry infant OR a pair of milk happy orbs, to be patient. So, I would pull out the blanket, cover up the proceedings and sit quietly on a bench. The looks I would receive ranged from understanding smiles (other moms) to curiosity (teenage boys) to downright disapproval (I mean what was I hiding under that flannel cabana? Tinky Winky, I feel your pain.). One person was so intrigued, they sat down next to me and stared. I asked if I could see their ticket. What? Well, surely if you are going to watch the show, you paid admission at the door, didn't you? They quickly departed.
Yes, I suppose it is possible to run around and find a bathroom, fitting room, or rack of clothes to hide in, but I guess I will never understand the "boob phobia" that is out there. Honestly, have those people who think there is something sexual about the nursing breast, ever SEEN one? I can think of nothing farther from a turn-on! And if a person is so offended by it being done, WHY ARE THEY WATCHING?
Whether you follow the bible or subscribe to Darwin, one thing is the same, breasts were put here for this purpose. A woman gives birth and they fill up with milk, thus enabling her to feed her offspring, if this is the method she so chooses. So, if nursing is a choice you make, be tolerant, remember it is a natural, beautiful thing, and that "Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder." But if that person ever sits down next to you in the mall to watch? You have my permission to change it to "MILK is in the eye of the beholder." Ready, aim, fire!"
