Boobs. Bosoms. Tits. Knockers. Bristol cities. Titties. Melons. おっぱい。
We all have them, men can walk around with theirs out, so why is it so outrageous for women to get there's out??
I'm not referring to the time I flashed my boobies to a packed pub on new year's eve, I'm actually talking about breastfeeding, and from my experience breastfeeding in Japan. Breastfeeding is encouraged in Japan and I'm not sure of the stats but a fair amount of women choose to breastfeed but I'm not sure when or where they are doing it because I don't think I've ever seen a public display of boobie here.
To be fair, shopping centers here have wonderful breastfeeding facilities with private rooms with curtains, so I get that, but I've never seen someone breastfeeding at say, a restaurant.
I on the other hand, get my tits out wherever I am, even if I'm at a shopping centre, if I can't be arsed trekking to the other side of the mall to get to the feeding room, I'll get em' out. Ryota is mortified every time, but I'm sure he wouldn't like a screaming baby either. He says that if I absolutely HAVE to breastfeed (what the fuck?!), then I should use a cover, but I'll be honest, I'm extremely uncoordinated, I can't use the fucker because I can't see where the fucking nipple and mouth are! Maybe I should practice with a cover, but I figure if I'm not embarrassed then why should anyone else be??
What is your take on it?? Is it just me that has no shame? Does it offend you if you see a woman breastfeeding in public?? Let me know!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I have no problem with it. Perhaps it's just my mental shift from erotic body part to food source when feeding our babies. Either way bet you raise some eyebrows here in Japan^^
ReplyDeleteYou forgot fun bags! That's my favourite.
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda the opposite. If women can't get their tits out then men shouldn't either. I've lived with a couple of male housemates who've walked around shirtless in summer and it's freaken gross. If you've got a D cup and you're a man, wear a shirt!
Breastfeeding, not such a big deal. It's sick that breasts have been sexualised to the extent that men freak out about breastfeeding - cos you know they are just worried they are going to crack a fat over.
Japan are weird about boobs aren't they (even weirder than here!~), you can't even show above boob chest flesh without guys going nutso.
i breastfed everywhere. probably the least thought out place was a furniture store, apparently an old pervert was checking me & baby out. i rarely used a cover, either. i am rather well endowed and i needed to see everything. once baby was latched on i would adjust my shirt(s) and really, nothing could be seen. breastfeeding is natural and good for you and baby, so people really shouldn't get up in arms about it.
ReplyDeletei have seen other women NIP in japan, but not so often. at yochien, moms pull out the tit all the time. in restaurants, i've seen women nursing with a blanket or cover. i have seen women nursing a baby in a sling or carrier and it's no big deal. i feel sad that some women do feel they need to cover up or hide somewhere (that said, i also LOVE the breastfeeding rooms. usually clean, quiet and a comfortable place to sit.)
Corrine,
ReplyDeleteThe woman with the awesome areolas :)
I wanna be serious for a moment here.
My classroom and bedroom are actually official breastfeeding locations. The baby has to wait outside and play with toys or watch Sponge Bob or whatever but your welcome anytime.
My facilities are top notch with all the things needed to ensure a fun stay. Your a V.I.P that contest you entered...remember ?...no?....anyway it's not important that you remember...anyway you have V.I.P status for life.
I can so kick nipple ass better than the kid. I'm jealous.
Nipples are for men and rubber imitation nipples are for babies. When men were in control of this planet we shoulda made that a damn rule..
DAMMIT!!!!!!
I breastfeed wherever I am.. doesn't matter if it's a supermarket, shopping centre, train I'll feed my child if they are hungry. I usually wear breastfeeding shirts though so it can be done very discreetly.
ReplyDeleteMy husband however hates that I do it and expects me to wait till we can find a breastfeeding room or worse still directs me to the car... it annoys the hell out of me!
By the way I was so jealous that you had the courage (?) to post the breastfeeding pictures the other day. I think I have like ONE photo on my phone of breastfeeding Leilah. This time around I have taken more but they are on my phone hidden away. I am too scared to actually let anybody else see them as I'm not sure of the reaction I would get.
I breastfed everywhere and my husband never had a problem with it. My FIL would usually leave the room or face away if it was near or around them but nobody else ever had any problems.
ReplyDeleteStrangest place I bf? On the train with no cover. Hey, you do what you gotta do.
I used a cover for the first couple months with Noah most of the time but by May it was too hot. I never used one with Shion. If I had to feed Shion while I was out with Noah as well I took him to a kid play area and sat on the edge and breastfed Shion while Noah played. He would scream if he had to stay in the stroller at a cafe/park/breastfeeding room so this worked best for us in that it kept him contained and happy. The amount of times I fed Shion while chasing Noah around though I don`t think I can count. I was a pro at bfing and running at the same time!
I do it anywhere. Have done it everywhere - Ukraine, London, Singapore (three visits!), Portugal, Australia, East Timor, international air space, and Malaysia. The only place I kinda thought twice about it was Malaysia because it's a muslim country, so I kinda hid in a corner of restaurants when I did it there. But no one has ever said anything to me. In the poor countries, the only reason I get raised eyebrows is because they see breastfeeding as something poor ppl do - if you're rich, you use formula. Funny hey.
ReplyDeleteOh and I'm not an extended breastfeeder or anything - just a lot of travel with babies (cause they are still free or cheap to fly!).
I've never seen anyone breastfeeding in Japan which I guess would make me think twice about doing it in public if I had a baby. I get sick of gawked at on a normal trip to the supermarket and probably wouldn't want the additional attention. If you don't mind, I think that's the main thing.
ReplyDeleteI had heard that breast feeding wasn't encouraged here and that the formula company reps harass mothers before they even leave the hospital.
Deb
Working as I did for an International nursery school, I guess my classroom was a natural space for mothers to breastfeed their younger babies as they dropped off their toddlers. Best was when I was observing a teacher, who had a surprise visitor to her class. Mother didn't even observe the class, just started feeding: irregardless of the poor teacher being assessed, and trying to continue singing and dancing whilst the students stopped and stared...
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure my stance on this can be summed up as baby needs ALWAYS trump any asshats out there who are uncomfortable with breastfeeding :)
ReplyDeletei'm not surprised you're not embarrassed ^_- it fits with your personality. i actually kinda like that you say Ryota is mortified everytime. lol. if that was me, i would kinda do it on purpose, haha...
ReplyDeletebut hmm... i think it's the woman's prerogative, but you should still be discreet about it, you know? not everyone wants to see your boobs. lol
still, ain't nothing wrong with breastfeeding. and you're right, i don't think i've ever seen it in Japan either.
I think I have said this to you before.. but as you know I fed Ella all over japan when she was 4 months. I probably made people uncomfortable not using a cover but I truely believe that if I (and my baby) are comfortable than who cares.. I was a little self concious one day in a shopping mall but the old ladies and men around me all made positive comments and I had some beautiful coversations wth elderly people about how young people are too nervous to breastfeed in public. It is sad that in all societies people feel the need to comment negativly about such a natural thing. Try and keep it up and remember other people may see you doing it and think well I can too. It is okay to do what you are doing as you are providing for your child in a natural loving way.
ReplyDeleteI've see it done in restaurants few times in Tokyo. A cover is always used. Don't really see a legitimate reason for not using a cover. Even if it is imperfect or falls off it is a symbolic show of consideration for others. Otherwise, it just seems in your face, a cry for attention.
ReplyDeleteHa, I remember feeding my son in our neighborhood park in Tokyo (covered) and my Japanese mom friends asking me, "Aren't you EMBARRASSED?" Um, no! But please stop staring at me like that!
ReplyDeleteAs for covering, I preferred doing it as much as I could -- that is, when my kids weren't old enough to play "Peek-a-boo!" with the blankets while feeding. It's a balance. On one hand, I didn't really give a rat's ass about offending the sensibilities of the kind of people who wanted lactating mothers to stay home. But I honestly didn't want to make nice people uncomfortable, so I always tried to be discreet, since I pretty much did it everywhere.
You do exactly what you want. My wife, a J-mother, fed everywhere, but with a cover. Cannot imagine a J-mother baring chest in a train or mall, and neither can she. As I said, you do just what you want, but you are brave to do that in Japan: god knows every J-man, and most of the women, want to see Caucasian breast - even though a baby feeding isn't erotic.
ReplyDeleteI can't pretend I'm not distracted by bare-chested feeding, but I make a point of looking at the lady's eyes, or her baby: so should everyone else! I don't blame Lulu's FIL, so long as he tried not to make her uncomfortable. Were it my daughter-in-law or daughter (don't have either yet) I might leave the room, but insist she and the baby stay comfortable. It would be, after all, MY problem, not hers.
People squeamish around babies are cocks:
- you don't want taxes collected for your pension?
- you didn't eat as a kid?
- you weren't one?
- you don't get that a less stressed mother and a less stressed kid means a happier and quieter kid?
- and get off of the fucking seat Japanese commuter! Be a man!
Giving away my level of experience with such issues maybe, what is a "cover'"?
ReplyDeleteThe idea that women should have to cover up while breastfeeding in public is ridiculous! MEN should be the ones practising averting their eyes! Kudos to you Corinne for being so brave in a foreign land!
ReplyDeleteCover=blanket or other material drape over yourself and the baby as you nurse.
ReplyDeleteTo an extent, I can understand why some passerby feel uncomfortable about breastfeeding. Although it is somewhat common to see breastfeeding coverless where I live in the US, you barely notice it since they just kind of shove their clothes around.
However, I moved to a small town in Guatemala for some research last year, and there women often took off half their clothing to breastfeed. I was kind of surprised at first, especially when the mothers would do this halfway through a conversation on a minibus. To be honest, it took me a while not to feel awkward, despite the fact that I think it's natural and had been around plenty breastfeeding before.
But the thing is, that people feel uncomfortable with breastfeeding is their issue. As others had mentioned above, we have sexualized breasts to such an extent that we degrade those who use them publicly for their evolutionary purpose. I loved Guatemala, but the harassment from the men could be overwhelming at times. Still, these same men would never look twice at a breastfeeding mother. They'd pass a mom feeding on a park bench without so much as a glance and then shout obscenities at another woman eating a popsicle. Observing this made me realize how messed up my own country's mentality about breastfeeding was.
In any case, I think it's great you feed in public. The more women do it, the more everyone else will get over it.
I' e seen people breastfeed everywhere gère un France, but can't remember seeing it even once in seven years in Japan.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the attitude varies greatly with the country and the level of supposed sophistication.
For instance, I remember reading that a magazine with a breastfeeding mother on cover page made a small scandal in the US...
Neither of my kids would tolerate a cover. Yesterday I fed my one year old on the train, but in the quietest corner I could find. Most J women seem to like covers, but I've seen a few do it without. I try not to show any nipple.... what else is there to it really, boobs are there for babies. Apparently we evolved bigger ones so the cleavage would remind men of buttocks. There's your problem, right there I'd say. Good on you, anyway.
ReplyDeleteBreast feeding is never shameful. Even at restaurants.
ReplyDeleteI saw a girl walking around with no pants ('underpants' for the americans) on the metro in tokyo, I don't really think anyone would care if you fed your child in public. I'm a guy, if a girl gets her boobs out, I'm going to be tempted to stare, but that's MY problem, not the girl's problem. There's absolutely nothing immodest about breastfeeding, and I support coverless breast feeding as a matter of principle.
ReplyDeleteI work with moms and babies, so I see breastfeeding mothers all the time in Japan. In public they use special blankets (sorry, I've forgotten the name). In the company of other women, I assure you, they don't bother being discreet about it at all. I honestly believe that most Japanese people are not in the least bit fazed by the presence of nursing mothers. I mean, come on, these are people who think nothing of taking all their clothes off and bathing with complete strangers. I think it's a moot point, though. In a few years time there will be so few babies in Japan that the issue of feeding will fade away completely. Go to your local supermarket now and compare the adult diaper section with the baby diaper section ... which is bigger?
ReplyDeleteI had a priVate student who'd had a bay recently and one da suddenly took to breast feeding the little guy right during our lessons in a Jonathan's. I played it cool but she had these great love jugs and my eyes kept telling my brain why not look? Obviously she's comfortable enough with you to whip the suckee out like it ain't no thing. So I started looking unabashed. Not staring, just not avoiding. Next thing I knew she cancelled our lessons LOL,! Oh well. Syougannai. I say go for it!
ReplyDeleteYes pls no thanks! all breast feeding mothers should do so modestly!!!! I do not like to see boobs with a baby or kid sucking on them.... grossss!!!!!!!!!!! I am a lady.... i am not saying it's shameful but not everyone like seeing such a scene! of cos I will damned look away when that happens..... grosss!!! we should be mindful and be considerate especially in PUBLIC!
ReplyDelete