It happened in France, next door. And in this century, not in the Middle Ages. It seems a lie, and it is not something common, but there are still specific acts of “tetaphobia” in the twenty-first century.
Who can bother a woman breastfeeding her baby when he asks for the breast? And even worse, getting to the point of slapping a mother for breastfeeding her child . Obviously, those who look down on such a natural fact as feeding a baby.
Assaulted for breastfeeding her baby in public
Maÿlis is a young mother who was in a queue to pick up a package in Bordeaux, when, after a 10-minute wait, her six-month-old baby started crying and decides to put it to her breast. The most normal.
“I put on suitable clothes, which open at the sides, to try to do this really discreetly, and there also, as there were people, I hid with my jacket,” explained the young mother. She had no obligation to “cover up” but the mother preferred to be discreet, and it was still not enough.
To a woman who was nearby, it did not seem appropriate and when she finished breastfeeding, she began to insult her and yell at her:
“Are you not ashamed? The new generation is here to show off, you are a mother, you have to plan your child’s meals, you should have done it at home, it is not something in good taste to do in public.”
The more violent the woman became, the closer she got to the mother, who ended up getting slapped with her baby in her arms .
No one defended her
Maÿlis returned home with her baby in shock at what had just happened. But what hurt the most was not the slap, but the lack of support from the rest of those present – passers-by and customers – who witnessed the scene and did nothing.
“No one defended me. […] I would have liked to react, but with a baby in your arms, what are you going to do?” . Worse still, an older woman congratulated whoever had just assaulted her.
By telling what happened on social networks, users encouraged her to report, which she has done. But he was attacked again, although this time it was not physical. At the police station, the person who received his complaint asked him “what percentage of his chest could be seen.” To which the mother replied “zero”. Then he kindly gave her to understand that it was his fault and that he had asked for it a bit. “I was shocked.”
“If breastfeeding is still a problem, it is because women are so sexualized today,” laments Maÿlis in a video posted on Instagram where she explains everything that happened. She also says that she has not been able to breastfeed her baby again, that “not a drop” comes out after the incident.
See this post on Instagram
For less judged breastfeeding
In France, no regulation prohibits breastfeeding in public spaces. But it is not a question of laws, but of mentalities . And it is not something that only happens with strangers, but even sometimes it is the family itself that disapproves that a mother breastfeeds in public.
Therefore, it is essential that breastfeeding is normalized in all areas as what it is, a natural way of feeding a baby that asks for the breast. There is no more than that. And whoever sees it as a sexualized act, the problem is in the eyes of the beholder.
Via | RTL
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