In almost all western societies breastfgeeding in public is a ''hot'' item. Moms 'doning it'' and breastfeeding advocates declare it a child's right to eat in public or argue that nothing or hardly anything is left to see.
But I do not think it has to do with either a baby being fed or with some bare breast skin exposure. In the same western societies where breastdeeding in public is an item of discussion female breasts are sex symbols and used as public decoration. Both in advertising for almost anything as in living women appearing in public life bare breasts or breast skin with or without visual nipples are exposed for anyone to see, with the purpose to be seen. In western societies' that's what they're for: to pleasure men with their sight and probably in privicy to pleasure the women themselves while having sex. (BTW and slightly OT: did you know that only about half of all women experience that breast/nipple manupulation during sex is fun!) A baby with a female breast in his mouth is seen as performing a sexual act and that's why people do not want to know that there is such a thing as breastfeeding: baby is doing what men see as their privilege. Baby is actually doing what all the other kinds of
 breast exposure suggest one might do with breasts.
And: the bigger the gap between what is shown in media, marketing and real life and the view of a society regarding freedom of sexuality, the more breastfeeding in public is forbidden.
 
Warmly,
Gonneke
Dutch IBCLC, living in Germany, teaching in Belgium

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