Hi All,
Time to throw in my .02.
I think that Dianes ad is a great idea and I wish we had something like that
here in California.
I think that a womans body is a beautiful piece of art, not only to look at
but also for the wonderful "art" that it does.  The female body works a
magical art that is priceless...It grows, nourishes and protects a growing
fetus, then delivers that baby into the world, then it has the miraculous
capability to nourish and sustain the life of that baby, giving the baby
everything it needs.  For some babies that need is met exclusively for up to
12 months (or until the baby is ready for solids).  For the lucky baby, the
female body can produce life giving milk for as many years as the baby wishes
to BF.  And during that time the child is given protections from illnesses
that can come from nowhere else.
Now is that an Art, or what?  Why would showing this piece of Art be
offensive?
I think to some it would be considered offensive because that is what our
society has made it.  That is very sad.  As Kathy D. has said and seen, the
female breast is NOT a sexual organ in many cultures, it is For the Baby.  In
our society, the female body has been used and abused in many ways, the least
of which is the sexualization of the breast, and thus rendering it "useless"
for anything else but sex.  Our society, in response to this sexualization of
the breast has then turned around and said that "Sex is Bad", and "Naked
bodies are Bad", and "Showing nude body parts for ANY reason is Bad".  We are
a nation of hypocrites, aren't we?  We need to stop showing the female body
in negative ways that demean and humiliate women, and show the world the real
reason the female of this species has breasts.  We all know why the breasts
are there, now we need to convince the rest of the people out there that
there is nothing wrong with our babies suckling (or sucking) on our breasts,
that there is nothing wrong with being naked (skin to skin) with our babies,
and that there is nothing wrong with BF our babies in public or anywhere we
want or need to.
The only way to do this is to run ads that show the world what the female
body was designed for...The ART of giving, growing, nourishing and protecting
the lives of our children.  How better than to run an ad like Diane's?  A
thought provoking, informational, artisitc ad.  Diane, keep them coming, and
may the success of your advertising multiply and expand around the world to
enlighten and educate those who are clueless.

Jay Simpson, WIC PC, CLE, Breastfeeding Advocate, and Art Lover

(PS  I also believe that if a woman enjoys being an exotic dancer, stripper
or dancing nude for the heck of it....More Power to her!  How dare anyone
criticize her for doing something she loves.  How dare anyone criticize any
of us women for Breastfeeding our children.)