A story recently spoke of a woman breastfeeding in public. What is your opinion?

[MrShaun]

She had boarded a plane and, prior to takeoff, revealed her breasts to breastfeed her child. Another passenger used his phone to record the incident.

The breastfeeding mother went off and ultimately, I believe, got escorted off the plane.

What's your take on this? Would you be offended if someone recorded you breastfeeding in public?

Updates

1 y

I don't mean to upset anyone with this conversation. Just thought the story was interesting.

Updates

1 y

This has been a really good discussion by everyone involved. Some key takeaway points to consider:

In all areas of the United States, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, & the Virgin Islands, it's perfectly legal for a woman to breastfeed in public.

And, since breastfeeding in public is legal, the recording thereof is also considered legal.

If you're recorded while breastfeeding in public, neither party should engage in any form of argument. Both parties are within their rights.

[Surely]

I have seen women breastfeeding in public using a small blanket to cover their breasts. If done properly. There is nothing exposed for any one to see.

[MrShaun]

That's a good solution.

[Surely]

Thank you for the MHO!

[SmokinAces2000]

Why wasn’t the dude recording it escorted off?

[MrShaun]

She wasn't escorted off for breastfeeding and, likewise, he had done nothing wrong either. She was taken off the flight because she lost her temper about being recorded. I guess they figured it was better for her to take a later flight.

[SmokinAces2000]

So you think it’s okay to record a random woman breast feeding

[MrShaun]

I appreciate you asking.

Personally, I do believe it's okay, just like recording anything in public is okay.

Women should be aware that revealing their breasts in public can make them the object of attention and, especially, with everyone walking around with pocket recorders. Their actions and image can be readily recorded and shared on websites dedicated for this type of thing.

Women need to be aware of what the results can be when they decide to do so in public.

[SmokinAces2000]

If her baby is hungry then she should be able to feed them and you’re just as weird as the guy for trying to justify that creepy shit

[MrShaun]

I would think that is why one would pump and provide a bottle or, maybe even use a decreet blanket.

What is really sad is the woman that doesn't realize she can be recorded so easily and have her image being shared forever. If she is going to expose herself, she should be aware of the ramifications.

[SmokinAces2000]

You do realize that there’s a different between saying that a woman should be aware of her surroundings and saying that it’s okay for a man to record a random woman breast feeding, don’t you?

[MrShaun]

Absolutely. Just as there's a difference between the ways one might feed a baby and the consequences of each.

[PBandJ_Nerd]

I feel like it was wrong for the guy to record her, especially since she clearly was annoyed with him & didn't consent to being recorded in the first place. I think she should've told the airplane workers about what he was doing & that she was uncomfortable with it. But it sounds like she didn't want to deal with the hassle. As for breastfeeding, that's just feeding the baby. There should be nothing wrong with it & people shouldn't treat it like it's a sexual thing being done in public. I know some places have a nursing room where mothers go there to feed their babies, but I have no clue how common those are. They should be more common if they aren't.

[MrShaun]

I appreciate your thoughts. I really do!!!

It's important to understand a few points. To begin with, the woman doesn't have to give her permission. That may night feel right to you but it's reality. Imagine how the paparazzi makes their living. If it's in public view, it's fair game.

Reporting it to a crew member would have been much better than losing her temper but there isn't a great deal to be done beyond that.

The smart thing would have been to be proactive and cover herself with a modesty cloth. Problem solved.

[PBandJ_Nerd]

I know some people don't like to use the cloth because they don't want to cover the baby's face while they eat (it makes it harder for them to breathe since they have to use their nose). If it's just to hide her breast & not over the baby's face, then it's probably fine.

[MrShaun]

No question. We're not talking about anything heavy. If you've ever seen a modesty blanket, you'll understand that it doesn't prohibit the child's breathing. The child's nose is more obstructed by the breast itself.

[MrShaun]

By the way, I wanted to award you an MHO but the system doesn't seem to still offer the option.

[PBandJ_Nerd]

That's ok. It probably randomly picked someone.

[Fireguy17]

they are just boobs. What's the big deal, that is what they were made for.
I milked cows as a kid, those were boobs.
No way I would expect someone to go into an airplane bathroom to do that.
They are so dirty, and I used an outhouse growing up.

[MrShaun]

So is that why a women should never be ashamed to be recorded in such an act?

[AMS700CX4u2]

If they chose to breastfeed in public then they should not complain about someone recording. The real question is why would anyone record an act that is so commonplace and natural. America needs to grow up.

[MrShaun]

@AMS700CX4u2 it becomes the topic on websites dedicated to this sort of thing.

[Fireguy17]

I'm glad I have a life and couldn't care less about it.

[MrShaun]

Then why get involved with the discussion?

[Fireguy17]

what I can't understand is why someone feels the need to record it?
What's in it for them, are they going to watch it and go rub one out?
It's a mom feeding her child.
How about a bit of respect.
Do they record a mom feeding a kid with a bottle?
This just happens to be a natural milk jug, delivered right from the source, plain and simple.

[MrShaun]

That's a fair enough question and I really couldn't say what the intent is -- only that the mother is likely getting much more attention than she thought.

As we've learned, it's important for any feeding mother to understand before she places them on display.

[AviatorTom]

Breastfeeding in public is fine, a perfectly natural thing to do. Recording a woman breastfeeding is an invasion of privacy, and might even be considered child pornography.

She had every right to be upset. They should have thrown the guy that recorded her off the plane.

[MrShaun]

Hey Tom.

With respect, it's just the opposite. If you're in public, even if you do something that's consider intimate, you can't come back and suggest it was some "invasion of privacy." You're in public and, therefore, there is no assumption of privacy.

With respect, you're allowing your belief that a woman can breastfeed in public as a determination of what's allowable versus not -- and I get that. Should we create laws that prohibit the pavarazzi? I wouldn't mind it, but they can actually stalk out certain people to photograph. What about the P. I. that's hired to catch the cheating spouse?

Hopefully you can see that, when you do something in public, there's no assumption of privacy. That's the way it works.

In this case, she shouldn't have been thrown off for breastfeeding (which she wasn't) and he wasn't about to be thrown off for casually seeing back recording what was happening -- can you imagine an airlines throwing off a passenger for recording an incident on a plane? She ended up being escorted off because of losing her temper, which you just don't do on a plane anymore.

The point of this discussion, I hope, is to not determine whether breastfeeding so openly in public is right or wrong -- or to make sure that women know the consequences before "whipping them out."

[AviatorTom]

The woman is on a plane. That is not in public, it's private property that belongs to the airline, or whoever the aircraft is leased from. She should be able to expect privacy, not being recorded and put on the Internet.

[MrShaun]

Much like being in a mall, a store or any number of public places that are owned by someone else, there's no reason to believe someone with a camera on their phone can't use it to record their surroundings. Just check out how many videos are recorded by passengers -- nothing refraining them taking and sharing.

Again, I can appreciate that you feel that women should be able to breastfeed, openly, in public and it's likely frustrating that she can be the focus of more than intended. But it's more important that if a women decides to put them on display, she knows what the consequences are.

[slatyb]

It should be fine to breastfeed in public. In private space, including airplanes and airports, the owner can prohibit some types of photography.

[MrShaun]

It's a fair argument but, whereas it's a public space, there is no guarantee for privacy. Therefore anyone revealing body parts needs to know the possibility they'll be recorded.

[slatyb]

Airports and airplanes are not public space.

[MrShaun]

I appreciate your response.

Most airports are publicly owned -- albeit, this is not always the case. However, both airports and the airplanes using the terminals, are for public use. As a result, they are, in fact considered public space. One can legally breastfeed in public as well as record the same. Neither act is illegal and neither can be prohibited.

The only time recording video or taking photographs may be prohibited is in sensitive areas like the screening process or anything that interferes with the safety of the airport or aircraft.

[oldpigg]

I'm disgusted by women who breastfeed in public.

[MrShaun]

I don't think it's disgusting but I do think it can be done discreetly without putting one's body parts on display for the rest of the public.

[Kelly6]

@ I breastfeed in public and no one on my town mind,

[MrShaun]

Sure. You can breastfeed openly in most areas of our county. We were discussing this in another thread last week. The issue then becomes that others can also record you while exposing your breasts and share openly on websites dedicated to this sort of thing.

Any woman openly breastfeeding in public needs to realize the ramifications.

[Kelly6]

@MrShaun
Any women who exposes in public already know that others can record a video and are aware of it as I am.

[Kelly6]

@MrShaun
It’s not only about public breastfeeding, it include nude beaches where I’m aware of others taking pics

[MrShaun]

I think you'd be surprised to find out how many there are that are unaware of the potential to be recorded.

It is extremely unfortunate to those who feel they should be protected when doing certain things, just to see their image shared on the internet.

[Kelly6]

@MrShaun
I totally agree with you.

[shortster]

You shouldn't be recording women trying to breastfeed their kids.

[MrShaun]

It wasn't me that did the recording. It's unfortunate that she was recorded without thinking through the consequences.

[shortster]

I meant the generic "you"

[MrShaun]

But the generic me is so much more boring than the real me. At least I think so.

[shortster]

I didn't know that there was a generic MrShaun?

[MrShaun]

Well that's what you suggested.

[TaxfreeRichMale]

The one recording was probably a poorly dressed hobo

[MrShaun]

LOL. I don't know about that. Don't know that it makes much of a difference.

[exitseven]

big deal. Everyone knows where babies feed from.

[MrShaun]

Absolutely. Gerber!

[dustybiker2]

You don't starve a hungry child.

[MrShaun]

I agree. Isn't that why God created Gerbers?

[DrPepper12]

WTF? Toss the pervy creep!!!

[MrShaun]

Because he recorded what was so clearly in public view?

[DrPepper12]

It's invasive. Yes he has the RIGHT to record in public, doesn't mean he should.

[MrShaun]

Couldn't the same be said about a woman displaying her breasts to breastfeed openly, in public?

It all depends on your perspective.

[DrPepper12]

No. Not even close.

One is a perv the other a natural human act.

One is ethically encouraged, the other is not

One is best for society, the other is not.

This isn't hard

[MrShaun]

... From your perspective.

Look, everything you've listed can be thought of just the opposite for someone who thinks otherwise...

Best for society? Naturally human? Ethically encourage?

All of that can and is is arguably just the same to someone whom might suggest a woman shouldn't show her breasts in public.

I'm not necessarily on the one side or other but I'll strongly advocate that there's a different perspective and neither is right or wrong.

The real problem occurs when a woman or spouse think they are okay in displaying breasts for the purpose of breastfeeding and then becomes upset when someone records the act.

[Twalli]

It's pretty offensive

[MrShaun]

From which perspective? Is the woman breastfeeding, openly, in public offensive or the guy recording her doing so?

[Twalli]

The guy recording it. It's also creepy to record it.

[MrShaun]

Yet to others, it's offensive for one to blatantly show their breasts in public.

Someone suggested that the proper solution is to cover one's self when breastfeeding.

You know, the one thing that occurs to me about this discussion is that it's reflective of many of our problems within society today -- no one is willing to see the other's perspective.

[Twalli]

I see the other side, unless they see nothing wrong with video recording a complete stranger breastfeeding.

[MrShaun]

That's, I guess, the ramifications when the woman decides to "whip 'em out."

[Agape93]

Who tf cares anymore

[MrShaun]

You have a good day too 😁

[Ladsin2]

How hot?

[MrShaun]

What do you mean, "How hot?"

[Ladsin2]

Was the woman? If a hot lady is popping a tit out in public she has to assume someone is going to take a picture. If it's Ugly Betty it'd be understandable to be upset.