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Opinion: Don't Hate On Kim Kardashian Because She Doesn't Want to See Your Boobs
Kim Kardashian wants you to cover up your ta-tas. Credit: Ethan Miller, Getty Images
The tweet in question, "EWW Im at lunch,the woman at the table next 2 me is breast feeding her baby with no coverup then puts baby on the table and changes her diaper (sic)," was the shot heard 'round the blogosphere this week, with moms and breast-feeding advocates up in arms over Kardashian's public relations boo-boo.
But you know what? The situation Kardashian tweeted about would have made me uncomfortable, too.
Before you ask for my head, you should know that I have no beef with breast-feeding. You want your kid to have breast milk for the first 12 months of their life? More power to you. You want to breast-feed in a restaurant next to me while I'm eating? Have at it. But do I want to look at your naked breast while you do it? No, no, I do not.
I fully support public breast-feeding, and I'm happy to stand up for your right to do so. What I take issue with is this cult of breast is best, the notion that somehow, those of us who choose not to or are unable to breast-feed for any reason are less than ideal parents.
In some circles, not giving your kid the boob for a solid year is akin to child abuse. How dare you compromise your child's health for some selfish reason! Bad mommy!
Or, heaven forbid, you say you don't want to watch someone else breast-feed in public.
Step back a minute and look at that tweet again. All Kardashian did was express her personal discomfort -- and frankly, watching someone change a diaper on a restaurant table would kill my appetite, too. How about next time I eat lunch with you, I open my mouth while I chew? Or maybe I decide to leave the stall door open when I use the restroom.
I'm not comparing breast-feeding to public urination, but, to some people, breasts are not just feeding mechanisms -- and that is A-OK. That's called having a personal opinion. As for Kardashian's decision to tweet about her uncomfortable moment, it certainly calls her judgment into question, but only because she's a public figure with a business built on her bosoms, er, I mean, her celebrity.
Last time I checked, the First Amendment protected Kardashian's right -- and yours, as well -- to express any and all of her opinions in whatever forum she wishes. That's called freedom of speech, my friends, and it applies to everything, including breast-feeding.
As someone who endured more than her share of snide remarks and raised eyebrows when she fed her kid with -- the horror! -- a bottle and formula, I relate to the hurt feelings of those who feel their parenting choices are called into question by strangers, especially when those strangers are not parents.
But let's cut Kardashian a break. She didn't call for a ban on public breast-feeding, she used a social media platform to say something impulsive. Let's save the vitriol for real hate speech.
Related: Breast-Feeding Could Save Lives and Money, Research Finds











ReaderComments (Page 1 of 9)
6-23-2010 @ 1:27PM
Mel said...My sentiments exactly! Unless I specifically go to one of those roadside resturants down south that offer nude dancing while you are eating barbeque.....I don't want to see boobs while I'm eating! And I'll take it a step further. I don't want to see gross veiny breastfeeding boobs, EVER. Feed your kid in public if you want, all I'm asking is that you throw a little burp cloth or a blanket over it for crying out loud! And changing the diaper on the table!!!! I would have complained to the manager of the resturant. I mean why do they even have changing tables in the bathroom , if people are just going to use eating tables!!!!!?????
I'm not a big fan of Kim K, but this might have been the most intelligent thing she has ever said.
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6-23-2010 @ 8:21PM
karen said...I am a doctor/mom and I totally agree with kk. Public breast-feeding is fine, but I don't want to see someone's boob out at the table next to me in a restaurant. Try a little modesty and keep it somewhat covered. And the board of health should have been called as soon as the diaper was off! How disgusting. Maybe I'll take my dog to that restaurant and let him lift his leg on her table. No difference.
6-23-2010 @ 9:02PM
camie said...Who gives a big rip what Kim Kardashian thinks about anything.But she does have a point. Breast feed your baby if you want but cover your boob. Thats more than Kim does so why does she have a problem.
But changing the baby on the table is another thing. The manager should have put a stop to that.
6-23-2010 @ 8:32PM
weeboys2 said...I just love when people say that breastfeeding is natural. So is sex. So is masturbation. So is going to the bathroom. But....most of us don't do those things in public for all to see. Sometimes, as polite ladies and gentlemen, we refrain for doing things in front of others that may make them uncomfortable. It's called MANNERS. Changing a diaper on a dinner table??She lucky the manager or owner didn't boot her and her dinner party out on their asses. It's a serious health code violation.
6-23-2010 @ 9:03PM
devhi926 said...If I wanted to feed my baby I would do it wherever and however I wanted to! Kim is gross! I bet the lady at the next table did not tape herself making the baby!!!
6-23-2010 @ 9:10PM
Alexis said...I agree I do not want to see that ever ....period and never when I am eating !!
6-23-2010 @ 9:25PM
robin said...HEAR HEAR!! i agree with Kim too! NASTY about the diaper! eeewwww.........
6-23-2010 @ 9:39PM
CR said...I agree. Breastfeeding is accepted publicly, but when done modestly..As for diaper changing on the table.NOT ACCEPTABLE AT ALL. A manager should have stepped in immediately to rectify the unsightly situation.
6-24-2010 @ 12:10AM
Steve Wolvers said...I agree we were on Vacation at lake Okaboji in northern Iowa last week. We were walking thru a mall and I look down at a lady on a bench and felt awkward here is this lady with both Breast out the kid on one the other just hanging 10 after we walk by my 11 year old says wow dad did you see those boobs come on we had 4 kids and I had 2 wifes since when is a blanket as a cover up not polite no one wants to see this in public!
6-25-2010 @ 11:55PM
Peggy said...I was a breast feeding mom. Anywhere,anytime the kids needed they were nursed. When I nursed no one every knew it. I wore T-shirts and always carried a blanket to cover us. I would lift the tail of my shirt let baby latch on and cover us loosely with the blanket. When baby was done I left the blanket in place pulled my shirt and bra back down and put baby on my shoulder and burped them.
By the way my "babies" are 28 and 25 years old.
As for changing a diaper in a restaurant,at the table. NO WAY.
Either go out to your car,or go to the restroom. No one wants to see a diaper whether it is just wet of something else. Have some respect for your baby and other diners.
6-25-2010 @ 4:40PM
Kimberly said...I think everyone can agree that changing a diaper at the table is beyond disgusting, it is unsanitary and a health risk... however, as for the breastfeeding in public, if you are a mother who breast feeds her child you do not always have the luxury of privacy and when an infant is hungry, well, your options are fairly limited. Modesty is always appreciated but if your baby will not tolerate a cloth over his face while nursing then you have even fewer options. As a rule mothers who breast feed are not stripper wannabees, we are just less concerned about the fact that someone might get a peek at our breast or nipple and far more concerned with getting our babies fed and cared for. Afterall, if we let our babies cry from hunger not only would we be very bad parents, we would then be glared at or twitted about "having a screaming brat." So make up your mind ppl, either simply look the other way if it bothers you, or, if you don't like it, then you stay home closed up on your house and be shunned by the public just because you prefer "modesty" over being a responsible and caring parent.
6-23-2010 @ 2:39PM
Lindsey said...Kim Kardashian is so cool to me. This was a great post and props to Amy Hatch! You are a great writer and I can relate to every single word! Really, how bad is it that she didn't want to see a complete strangers breast out with her child-whatever-while eating. Oh and one question: was there a restroom in that resturant? I mean COME ON.
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6-23-2010 @ 6:13PM
drey said...lol! shes worried abt a little bit of breast showing..lol..rembr she posed for playboy..And i think she needs to keep her comments to herself abt breastfeeding..because hello its natural..its free..n remembr some babies dont like to be coverd while nursing..if she wants her sister and other women to cover while feeding there babies..i suggest she eat and drink under a blanket to..or eat her food in the restroom..
6-23-2010 @ 8:46PM
Jeannie said...So you think a mother should nurse her baby while sitting on a public toilet? How gross is that! I agree that the baby should have been changed in the restroom, or in the parents' car if they thought the bathroom was too dirty.
6-23-2010 @ 8:28PM
izitrong said...I agree with Kim even if I am not a fan. As for the comment Drey made, imagine this, you are sitting on a first date with a hot guy and some attractive woman whips out her breasts and starts to feed her kid, of course your guy is ignoring you at this point and watching her as if she is staring in a porn and after that she ruins your entire appetitie by changing a nasty diaper on the same table she is eating off...yeah, I don't think you would like that. I say take it in private or cover it up oh and any woman who changes a diaper on a table has no class.
6-24-2010 @ 2:30AM
Sue said...I breastfed my son for 2 years, but I never did it sitting at a restaurant table. Although, I would never be offended by a woman who did. Nursing my son really opened my mind to public breastfeeding. Sometimes your baby is hungry, and you can't starve him. There were a few times I had to nurse in public, like on an airplane with no place to go.
However, changing a baby on the table in a restaurant is just disgusting! It's unsanitary.
drey made a very good point. My son did not like to have a blanket or any type of cloth over his head/face when he was eating. He used to rip it right off. This was one of the reasons I tried not to nurse in public. However, that was my choice. Why do others feel they have a right to tell other mothers how to nurse? The woman who wrote this article doesn't want to be criticized for feeding her baby a bottle, but she openly criticizes those who nurse in public. Talk about glass houses!
izitrong, you sound VERY insecure! Trust me, the LAST thing on a nursing mother's mind is attracting some guy in a restaurant. I'm sorry that you can't be more secure in the guys you date. If a man is truly interested in you, he's not going to spend his time ogling a woman nursing her baby! In fact, I would question any man, other than perhaps the baby's father, who was turned on by it.
6-24-2010 @ 12:39AM
JSmith said...Funny I feel the same way when I see someone with their thong hanging out the back of their pants or a guys boxers hanging over their pants. Oh and ladies (for some of you I use this term loosely) why not cover up your bra before heading out the door?
6-24-2010 @ 3:51AM
Lita said...Do you ever consume your meals while sitting on the toilet? If not, then why would you expect a baby to be fed there. True, the mother should have made some effort to cover her breast with, perhaps, a napkin. (Why do we have such a problem with breastfeeding in public but women who parade around with their breasts erupting out of the top of the shirts and sweaters are less offensive?) But changing the diaper on the table? Sorry, but I would have had no problem if she had been embarrassed publicly. Now THAT'S when she should have taken the child into the bathroom. She was boorish clod.
6-23-2010 @ 4:55PM
Heather said...The breastfeeding thing is fine but changing a diaper on a dinner table is nasty. I would have complained about that too.
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6-23-2010 @ 8:34PM
susie said...I agree and would like to add this question" why aren't all these restaurant goers looking at and eating their dinner? I assume they were there for that reason. Why are they sooo concerned about what's going on at another table??? Boring company??boring food?? just bored??