Mom Responds To Stranger Who Filmed & Publicly Shamed Her For Nursing Her Baby On A Public Beach
"Next time you see a mom breastfeeding her child in public, covered up or not, tell her how good of a job she's doing."
@izlomax / TikTok A mom was quick to criticize a stranger who tried to shame her for breastfeeding her infant son in public.
In a TikTok video, Izabele Lomax was less than impressed after noticing a post on social media that was about her choosing to nurse her son while they were on a public beach. The post attempted to publicly shame her for "exposing" herself when, in reality, she was only trying to feed her hungry infant.
The mom was accused of being disrespectful by nursing in a public place where people could see her.
"Imagine waking up, getting on Facebook, and seeing this video of yourself yesterday at the beach," Lomax began in her video. The post in question had been a video taken by another mother who had been at the beach with her 4-year-old son and consisted of Lomax breastfeeding her son.
Lomax explained that the mother and her son had walked past her and her baby on multiple occasions before going out of her way to film her without her consent as she participated in a basic human experience of feeding her son.
"You had every opportunity in the world to say something to me, not that I would've cared or stopped what I was doing, but you instead choose to post a video of me and my child on Facebook publicly for the world to see," she pointed out.
The Facebook post has since been deleted, but in it, the random woman claimed that she wasn't "not shaming women who breastfeed," but then went on to do exactly that. "I'm shaming the woman who breastfeeds in public with no respect to cover themselves up and just let their boobs hang out (nipple included) for everyone to see. Cover up!"
The woman continued, writing that she shouldn't have to "cover her son's eyes" and explain to him why Lomax has her breasts out, and he shouldn't have to see it along with everyone else at the beach.
There are multiple issues with this woman's post, but the number one is, why does it matter? Are mothers just supposed to let their babies starve while in public?
"Next time you see a mom breastfeeding her child in public, covered up or not, tell her how good of a job she's doing," Lomax remarked, adding that it's even weirder how this mother was sexualizing the act of nursing because of her son.
"Also, let it be known that her son is literally 4 years old. If you are sexualizing a breast to a 4-year-old, you've got your own set of issues."
A depressing number of people in the U.S. find it 'inappropriate' for a woman to nurse in public.
The makers of Aeroflow Breast Pumps surveyed 1,000 households to find out more about the public’s opinion of breastfeeding and pumping, and the results were a bit bleak.
Photo: Nataliisaff / Shutterstock
One in four people in the United States think it’s inappropriate to breastfeed or pump in public and 61% of people don’t think moms should openly nurse in public.
Over 60% of people don’t think women should be able to nurse in a restaurant, and 25% of people don’t think businesses should have to provide private lactation rooms for moms.
Breastfeeding is both natural and the biological way that mothers are able to feed their babies, so for them to be shamed over it is ridiculous. According to a survey of 370 Gen Z and Millennial moms, 96% report they've been shamed while out in public with their kids.
Of those who have been shamed, 1 in 5 have had someone complain about their child breastfeeding in public spaces, like restaurants, movie theaters, and airplanes.
It's crucial to recognize that the stigmatization of public breastfeeding affects not only mothers but society as a whole. It prevents the healthy development of infants, discourages mothers from feeling that they can nourish their children without shame, and perpetuates an unnecessary culture of shame.
It's incredibly disheartening to witness such instances where mothers, who are fulfilling their most basic duty of caring for their children, are met with judgment and disapproval. Lomax's story echoes the sentiments of countless mothers who have found themselves unfairly criticized for breastfeeding in public spaces.
If noticing a mother nursing her baby makes you uncomfortable, it doesn't take much to simply look away and go about the rest of your day, because the truth is that mothers should be able to breastfeed without fear or discomfort.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.