Susan Nielsen on Facebook & Breastfeeding

 
Did you see this yet?  Lisa over at Activistas and a few of the state's impressive breastfeeding activists (Diane Garrett and Amelia Psmythe) spoke to Susan Nielsen this week for today's opinion piece, Facebook and Breastfeeding.   Did you join the Facebook group, Hey, Facebook!  Breastfeeding is not obscene?  Or not?  I didn't, but am not totally clear as to why. Maybe, like Susan suggests, it isn't on my top 50 list of wildly important issues that affect families in the U.S.  But that's just my top 50.  Everyone's, clearly, is different.

As I wrote earlier this week, I join plenty of other Facebook groups, and imagery is powerful & important on a number of levels.  So is online activism.  Susan delves into the issue of on v. offline activism, which is super interesting to me.  Is one better than the other?  All good?  Here's a bit of what she has to say on that (an issue near and dear to my heart since my title at work is "online organizer"):

(A)fter contacting several Oregon women who've joined the group or are passionate about breastfeeding, I see the value of this online protest. As they explained, online activism can be powerful -- as long it spurs real-world action rather than replaces it.

For starters, private virtual communities have replaced the public town square. The hard-earned legal rights you enjoy in the real world don't always apply online, where you are a "user" or a "member" rather than a citizen. That's why Facebook's policy matters more than you'd think.

Read it for yourself, mamas.  Susan is a mom herself, and was a terrific moderator for our Mayoral Forum on Families last Spring.  Thanks, Susan, for bringing this issue to the fore.

[photo, per usual, courtesy of cafemama]

Comments

[Helen]

I did join the group, and then I 'left' the group. Only because I'm more of a pro person then a con person. If it were called "we love to post our breastfeeding pictures on facebook" I just might have stayed. Either way, I do support the cause

I am 100% for women breast feeding in public. Exposed boob and all. I'm sad that it has such criticism. Like we've never seen a boob before, like we can't explain it to our innocent children... good grief. I think the shock value of seeing a woman feed a child in the natural way will eventually wear off in our society. At least I hope it does.

Feed on ladies!

[aimee noel]

I signed up for that group. While I'm not the type that would put up a picture of my baby breastfeeding, I don't think it's wrong that they're doing it. Most of the pictures are tasteful and don't really show anything, like the picture above. I don't think that facebook is right in calling them obscene and threatening to delete accounts.

I feel strongly about the whole breastfeeding subject and don't think we should be told where we can or can't do it... including online! But then again, I breastfeed my baby anywhere when she needs to, including church.