ive personally never understood the problem people have with topless women in general, if a mans walks around topless in summer its perfectly fine and noone gives it a second thought, but a topless woman is somehow bad and obscene, especially those beaches that say "No topless bathing" never seem include blokes.

It seems breasts symbolize the lifeblood of existence to many men and women alike.

Many suggest that the covering of the breast is unconscious jealousy on the male part. Men who are comfortable with female breasts are most likely an exception to this.

Women have the ability to give and sustain life. Many men just hate that fact, so those men seek to control women, telling them what is acceptable in public. Those men are probably equally afraid they will be walking around with a 'stiffy' most of the time and then those 'small things' would be obvious. They would then therefore be judged by those 'big breasted things.'

I never considered it, but I think you might be on the right track. I think perhaps if men saw breasts for their "utility", for their real purpose, they would cease to find them sexual and this is what bothers them. They don't want the true purpose of the breast to get in the way of their enjoyment.

I can assure you that there are some men out there who know exactly what they are for and it doesn't dull their desire for them one little bit. Even the occasional squirt in the eye does nothing to curb their lust I have done a pole on another forum and it seems there are just as many breast lusters that were breastfed as bottle fed, so I am still not sure if it has something to do bonding with their mother or not. I am going to go with not, just so I don't get too freaked out with our situation

Wow.

Like Clarice Starling said, "you see a lot."

Here in Germany and most central European countries (Benelux) we have something called top free equality, it's fine for both men and women to don't wear a top. Actually also nudity is totally legal as long as you don't jump one someone ;P

Don't think people here usually run around naked, that's not the case although they could if they wanted to.

You'll find topless or nude at most rivers, lakes, some parks etc.

yeah i kinda miss that relaxed mentality, here in the us bible belt...

complete opposite here..., just the hint is the worst thing they can imagine...


even the fact that some people complain about topless guys here and there, but are happy at the pool...

the law is ridiculously hypocritical regarding it here,
its technically legal to be topless, but women can still be prosecuted under the Indecent Exposure Act because of the way you can intrepret its legalese......

if a womans topless at a beach on the coast, chances are noonee will complain, but if she was topless in a park in london 95% of the time people will make a scene.

I only see through the lens of my own experiences, articles and books I've read and the many, many conversations I have had with other male and females, adult and adolescent alike on these kinds of subjects.

Personal and societal 'myths' peak my interest. I have always had, and still have great curiosity in the 'why' question of myself as well as others. That's just me.

Well for those who are so nice as to "categorize" men, something women have hated for years as well or any group. Wrong. For one, not all men care if a woman breast feeds or not. My wife breast fed 3 of my kids, I think I know what they are for, however, if I was no longer attracted to them, she wouldn't be too happy either. Just as breastfeeding is "NATURAL" So is a man's attraction to women's breasts. Women think about guys parts too and I've heard enough women acting like adolescents over guys as much as men acting that way. I have no problem with breast feeding in public. Our problem in the U.S. is how we are brought up, if kids are shown it's not a dirty thing to have boobs, and that they are meant for feeding as I explained to both my boys growing up and seeing women do this, it's no big deal. However, any "straight man, that is, no offense to gays" are most likely still attracted to boobs. This is most likely in part how a woman ended up breast feeding in the first place.

I think the analogy that women have the ability to give and sustain life and men hate that is pure bullshit, straight up. I love the fact my wife could give me 3 great kids and love her all the more for it after seeing the hell she went through having them.

Furthermore as far as controlling women, I think that's old nonsense too. I see more wives telling their husbands what to do than the other way around. I always let my wife do what she feels she should or wants to do and the same is applied to me, within reason on both sides. Mutual agreement and we don't boss each other, she is equal and I'm always wrong, that's the way it is and it works.

I love how some people see an injustice and apply it to everyone in the damn world. This is how idiotic laws get made.

Anyway, my point, I have nothing against breastfeeding in public, I'm sure many women and men alike still live in the dark ages but not everyone.

theres nothing wrong with breast feeding in public.. even we too were once hungry..

Non-sequitur much?

I hadn't planned on commenting in this thread until a scene I witnessed in our local Whole Foods market yesterday, made me revisit this topic.

Suckling an infant is as natural as you can get, but the mother needs to do it tastefully, and in respect for other people in a public area if that's where she chooses to feed her baby.

Feeding an infant in public is not a god given legal right. Technically, nudity laws could be applied, though I would doubt that a municipality would even think about charging a mother for feeding her baby.

But...

Having grown up on a cattle operation, frankly, the lady I saw yesterday reminded me of a cow in a stall with a heifer hanging on her.

She had no regard for those around her, nor any semblance of modesty or manners. Complaints were made by patrons (not me), and the manager asked her to stop, or leave. She left in a huff.

My wife suckled both of our kids, and she wouldn't have even thought about doing it in public. Not because she's modest, she simply considered it a private matter. (I just reconfirmed this by asking her.)

Personally, I wonder about those that do feed in public. Maybe it's some kind of a badge of courage, telling others look what I did, I just had a baby.

Is feeding a baby in public for the benefit of the child, or the mother?

I'd be curious how the original poster would answer this question...

Great post OC. Now you'll probably be accused of all kinds of mysogeny, mental problems concerning nudity, etc. Taking a shit is one of the most natural things you can do too - is it ok if I take a dump right next to your table while you're eating at your favorite restaurant? The only reason anyone might answer yes is because they're afraid of seeing a man's ass. So goes the logic.


You're on to something with the badge of courage thing. Its part of some need to find a place in a clique and establish themselves with some sort of us-and-them pecking order.

Oh no, Rasczak. You've just compared breast-feeding to shitting. You should probably duck.

Ummm no, it is because I am in public and my baby happens to be hungry or needs settling. How does this concept somehow turn into showing off?
We are talking about breastfeeding in public. Breastfeeding - the act of feeding(or settling) a child via the breast.

They are two very comparable things. They are both natural, neccesary, bodily functions, that involve exposure of taboo parts of the body in western culture, and are required to live.

Ok, so when I'm sitting next to you in a movie theatre and I need to take a dump in the middle of the movie, I can just shit in my empty popcorn bucket so I don't have to miss any of the movie. That cool with you? Talk about needing settling - after a box of popcorn drenched in butter flavored oil - that's a lot of fiber. More room out than there is in - know what I mean?

See ya at the cinema.

Question. Do YOU ever eat in public? Yes? Thought so. So why can't my child? Cause' you might see a lil boob? Too bad. Theres even a few states with enforcement provisions, which means that YOU can be charged for trying to make me leave/stop (just as you can be charged for discriminating against anyone else).

Depending on where your at in the US, actually its bfing is probably written into the laws at this point as legal 'anywhere the mother is otherwise aloud to be'.

Who does bfing benefit? My child. And you. And me. It benefits my child because, well, he's hungry and so he gets to eat. It benefits you because that way, luck you don't have to listen to him SCREAM because he's hungry (which he would be doing if not nursing). It benefits me in the same way.

What would you rather? My child scream and scream and cause a huge scene and be heard throughout the store, or me let him nurse?

I nurse in public constantly. Sometimes its more discreet than others (mostly depeneding on how much I want/need to be able to use my hands and whether or not my son is in a carrier and what shirt I'm wearing).

So you can't see any flaws in you comparing your actions to that of a small infant who doesn't have self control? I didn't know you thought so poorly of yourself