Breastfeeding: We Own Our Bodies

People still bother getting offended by breastfeeding. Can you believe it? I guess I get it on one hand because breastfeeding isn’t seen much in the US and when people are not used to seeing something it brings up negative emotions for them.

What I really don’t get is why people actually speak or type their feelings about it. After seeing something that you don’t usually see and having the emotion that this sight brings on, wouldn’t you just shrug and say, “Meh, that’s weird to me, but whatever, none of my business.”

There’s a guy in my neighborhood who walks around barefoot. I live in the city of Chicago. I think this is weird. I mean I like being barefoot too, but not outside in Chicago. I think, “Dude, that’s gross, what if you step in puke or broken glass?” Then I go, “Whatever, not my feet, not my problem.” Then I smile and say “hello” to him. And I move with my day and he moves on with his.

But alas, unlike feet, breastfeeding involves breasts and women. And as we know, society doesn’t feel like women should be able to make these decisions about our own bodies. Everyone needs to be involved in the decisions regarding a woman. I mean we barely own our breasts at all. They are public domain. They are for entertainment! They belong to the sexually aroused like I own my vibrator. They are not parts of a human, they are toys.

I see my body and my breasts as sexual resources too. We live in a culture that has sexualized breasts after all. We’re all here and we can enjoy this if we wish. I love cleavage and having them touched during sex and all the other fun sexual things they can do. The sexualization of our bodies forced upon us by society is purely about control, not sex.

I say fuck all this.

I will do whatever I want with my body. It’s mine, not yours. I am in control of my body. I own my body. I will not be owned by a sick society that hates women and our bodies. My body is innately a biological resource and I am a person of worth valuable to my children, society, earth, the universe, my ancestors and future generations.

The future of the world depends on women, all women, gaining ownership of their bodies and their life experiences. We must act with the utmost urgency on this matter. We all have an influence, big or small, somehow someway. Speak up when you see injustice. And most importantly, remember that not all women have the same experiences. We all struggle, but the struggle is not the same. The control taken from women differs from race, religion, class, and many, many other factors. When you don’t understand then ask, don’t simply reject her.

Women are not free until all women are free.