Yes, that's right....porn! Today's topic in my Global Health class was the public health implications of breast feeding vs. formula in different cultural settings. To illustrate the general American perception of breasts and breast feeding our professor proceeded to show 4 overhead transparencies from the current issue of Playboy magazine. That's 4 pair of breasts....doing provocative things. I'm totally fine seeing breasts, as I have a pair and I see them regularly, but you could tell the class did a collective shift in their seats and the guys looked a little uncertain as to whether or not they should look at the overheads or stare at the floor for a minute or two. Our professor is unfazed by all of it and I love her for that--she's very "that's how it is" and I respect that....not just regarding breasts, either. She proceeds to say:
"no, now these are definitely fake--you can tell because of the globe-like appearance and, let me just say that a woman that skinny doesn't have huge breasts like that! Where's the transparency with the real breasts?....we searched the entire playboy and found one pair that we think are real."I can safely say that that was an academic first for me.
Her point was this: in America breasts are categorized as sexual objects, not as motherly, nurturing objects. There is a negative social connotation associated with many things breast-related due largely to the over-sexualization of the female body by Playboy, Hustler, etc. This negative connotation carries over to activities that should be perceived as natural and innocent, such as breast feeding--particularly breast feeding in public places. People tend to be offended by the sight of a mother breast feeding her baby, regardless of whether or not breast is actually visible--how can such a beautifully natural thing be considered perverse and offensive??
I don't plan on sitting myself and my (sometime in the future) baby down in the middle of a crowded shopping mall for feeding time--I'd probably find an inconspicuous spot, but I'd hope that the people around me would respect my decision and look upon it as nuturing and not perverse.
Oh, yeah, and I'm done with midtems!! Whoo-hoo!
1 comment:
Now i have to say that they never did that when I was in school. We had to scour many issues of National Geographic to see breasts. Maybe now that I'm older, I can honestly say that I would have looked at the overheads in relative comfort. If they're going to show them, then I'm going to look.
Needless to say, it's funny that this is the one post without comments....until now.
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