It’s an issue over here. In urban areas public breastfeeding happens … occasionally. And by occasionally I mean rarely. My wife has spotted breastfeeding in restaurants less than half a dozen times, and we eat out every weekend, and have been married for … some time now. Rare, that would be the word, alrighty.
rfjdxm --I don’t recall her talking about the STD’s etc with the abstinence presentation. I believe that was covered in an entire chapter/section. One thing about the HS–they are demons on science, so she did get the info.
Strinka I also pity you and your class–to leave HS ignorant of well known, well researched and valuable knowledge is a crime. I do not blame the students–I blame the school board and short sighted parents. There are, however, any number of good books, available at the library–one is titled, “What is Happening to My Body”. It is aimed at middle school and puberty, but it does cover basic sex ed and contraception. It comes in girl and boy versions. You may not need that info, but maybe some peers do…
As to the breastfeeding query: Most American women that I have come across (and myself) would prefer a separate room for total privacy when feeding. If not, then most use a baby blanket, large napkin–some type of drape.
You are entering a strange and polarizing place when asking about BF habits in American women–this is one hotly contested topic, depending on the participants!
Suffice it to say that a shawl, or cover-up is used most often.
As an aside on the breast-feeding issue, it seems to me that the most important thing is that the nipple never be visible to an outside observer. It’s something that I noticed years ago and I have always thought it was interesting and amusing: At least in this country, if you have not seen a nipple, then you have not seen a boob. I think that if a woman “appeared” who was completely bare above the waist, except for a coin over each nipple, the men present would say, “Hey, I almost saw her tits.” As I think about it, I’m not sure if the areola would need to be covered or just the nipple.
So, in terms of breast-feeding, it’s that all-important instant where the breast is made available but the mouth has not covered the nipple where nudity is happening. And it seems to me that this is moment where some sort of cover or draping is all important.
In terms of women confidently breast-feeding in front of the “public”, I have seen almost none of it in my years in this country. And I have read about occasions when people complained about a woman breast-feeding in their presence. In particular, I seem to recall reading about cases where people complained about such a display of nudity creating a hostile work environment.
If it helps to “paint the picture”, I would say that if a woman breastfeeds her child in a public place, it won’t surprise most Americans at all if someone is offended by the display of nudity. There are an awful lot of people in this country who think that there is something deeply offensive about a naked human.
-VM
Thanks, ** Evil Captor, eleanorigby** and ** Smartass**. Oh, well. Different cultures, different styles, huh. 