On 23/08/2007, at 0:51, Morgan Gallagher wrote:

> With Germaine Greer's comments about "women who turn themseves into  
> cows" ringing in my ears... I wonder about the underlaying politics  
> of such a position?  For surely, such attitudes can only spring  
> from the idea that the breast is innately sexual - hence the need  
> to overcome prejudice against women by the women in question  
> deciding to pretend they don't have breasts in the first place?  If  
> the breast is the symbol of difference, and thus of oppression  
> (either to the male ego via sexualising them, or to the  
> overpowering infant who feeds from it) then surely the correct way  
> forward is to reject the breast as anything to do with being  
> female?  Talk about tautology!
>
> I really should do some more feminist reading... although I'm now  
> all caught up in the concept of being an "Empowered Mother" so  
> perhaps a trip to the library might wait whilst I go play with  
> that!  :-)  I can definately see that as a mother of a nursing  
> toddler, my empowerment in supporting my son's right to my  
> breastmilk regardless of society's shock, horror and despair, must  
> be truly frightening for said society.  After all, why else would I  
> now be 'one of those women', the ones you can completely negate  
> from either intellectual discussion, or feminist theory, as both my  
> intellect and my individuality is now utterly compromised by my  
> son's continued access to my breast!

Germaine Greer absolutely does not embody or represent all of  
feminist theory, and she never has. Some of the very strongest  
breastfeeding and birthing advocates I know are strongly committed  
feminists, with plenty of them identifying as radical feminists.  
Feminism and breastfeeding are in no way incompatible. Your own  
critique of the male gaze as it relates to breastfeeding prejudice  
draws from core feminist theory.

I think that dismissing feminism as breastfeeding-unfriendly based on  
the statements of one or a few is a mistake.

Lara Hopkins

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