Donna, what an excellent idea for study!  I have compared the way we treat
breasts in the U.S to the way oriental people once treated feet - all kinds
of manipulations (surgeries) to make them more sexy, to the extent that their
natural function is impaired.  Not sure who to credit with that bit of
wisdom...Katherine Dettwyler, perhaps?

I have heard from moms who really believed they were too "sensitive" to bf,
and it was a point of pride to them ("my skin is too fair, too delicate").
This is very similar to ideas about birth:  a "feminine" woman couldn't
possibly squat or get on her hands and knees to have her baby, much less
grunt while pushing.  Birthing naturally and breastfeeding are fine for
primitive, third-world women (specifically the women of color we see in
National Geographic) but southern ladies are too sophisticated, civilized,
and refined to do it.

Elaine Ziska
Jackson, MS

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