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Subject:
From:
Kathy Dettwyler <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 6 Apr 1998 05:45:20 -0500
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>  Dontcha think it is a bit extreme to compare a lady enjoying wearing her
>bikini to a lady who can't walk because her feet have been deformed or to a
>woman "thrown away" because the fistulas which developed from her
>infundibulation (sorry if spelt wrong) and subsequent deliveries have left her
>repulsive to those around her?

Nope.  I *don't* think it's a bit extreme at all.  The health damage caused
by western attitudes towards breasts affects many more mothers and babies
than the health damage ever caused by bvound feet.  It's probably about
equivalent in terms of the health damage caused by infibulation.  Some women
die from health complications of their breasts implants, and some babies die
and many babies are sick because they were not breastfed.  And we're not
talking about just "wearing a bikini" -- we're talking about a whole culture
that encourages women to feel bad about their bodies and encourages men to
view women as sex objects, not people.

It *is* typical for people in one culture to not be able to view objectively
their own beliefs and practices, while finding similar beliefs and practices
in other cultures to be abhorrent.

Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Texas A&M University

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