Karleen Gribble wrote:
>
> I've just been reading Riordan and Auerbach (never thought a text book
> could be so faciniating) and it mentions it being a common sight in Saudi
> Arabia to see veiled women baring their breasts to feed their baby.(SNIP)
> Whenever I speak to people
> about the cultural issue of breastfeeding in public and mention Muslim
> women who are veiled feeding in public, they are absolutley astounded
> because it so challenges their ethnocentric view that breasts are private
> sexual objects.

It really is an ethnocentric view that breasts are private sexual
objects because in Islam it is a child's (especially boy's) birth right
to be breast fed.  Breasts aren't sexual objects *at all*.

A woman's bottom on the other hand *is* the sexual object.  Many women
of Islam have perfected the art of remaining fully covered but
*displaying* their sexuality by the way they wrap their abaya around
their bottom and hips and sway while they walk.  Many of the thobes and
abayas easily fit me at 5'10" tall with extra length.  The women of the
middle east tend to be much shorter.  They take up the extra fabric in
their arms or hands while pulling it around their bottom to *frame* it.
I have heard a grown man describe it as watching too ferrets wrestling
with each other.  He (as a teen) and his adolescent buddies followed
women around who had this art perfected.  He claims it is quite the turn
on - still.

As a professional belly dancer I can tell you that American clubs like
to see shoulder shimmies and chest lifts - all breast highlighting
moves.  Arab audiences think it is boring and don't get the turn on
value of it.  A little ass shimmy and hip lock is where it is at for
them.  In fact most costumes bought from the middle east have 3-4 long
strands of glass beads hanging from each bra cup over the nipple area.
It is there to simulate mother's milk.

Sorry I don't have the picture you're looking for nor more
scientific/researched evidence.  :-)
--
Monique
Noah 6/97, ?? edd 6/17/00
[log in to unmask]

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