My dear Kathy,
Your post illustrates to me something I've been thinking about for a couple of
months.  The first time we hear something that goes against a commonly held
belief, and makes us begin to think in a new way, we consider the messenger to
be a "zealot".

Thank God for zealots.  Those of us who have been in breastfeeding promotion
for many years have been considered zealots by the mainstream.  Now, most of
our beliefs have been justified through research, we are still waging an
uphill battle, we haven't significantly changed anything we've been saying
over the years, and we are still considered zealots.  It doesn't stop us from
continuing to speak out.

I'm with you on this, Kathy.  I would also like to add to the "breasts as sex
objects" discussion, the image of anorexic fashion models who have encouraged
us to see curves and comfortable padding as "fat".  From the perspective of
someone with plenty of both, I feel uncomfortable with myself when shopping
for clothes and other activities that honor the beauty of the straight planes.
I want to teach my daughter, as I'm trying to teach myself, that feminine
beauty is in the power of the female form that takes the shape nature, not
fashion, intends.  Just as our breasts don't all look alike (thank God),
neither should the rest of our bodies.

Just some rubenesque musing,
Jeanne Mitchell
Austin, TX