Sexualize Breasts in other Cultures - Page 2

[Bellabaz]

Originally Posted by RomanGoddess

Breasts in France are perceived as 99 percent sexual and only very secondarily to feed a baby and only if you want (only 60 percent of mothers in France ever try breastfeeding) and then only for the first six weeks after birth. Breastfeeding a small baby in public is not at all taboo in France but it's not something you see very often. You would get weird looks and maybe even some remarks (you're still breastfeeding??) if you breastfeed a baby over 6 months old. Breasts are perceived as sexual, therefore breastfeeding an older baby or toddler is taboo.

One of France's leading pediatric-psychiatrists said a few years ago that a baby should be weaned by 3 months, 6 months absolute latest, that baby has to learn that mommy's breasts are for papa (wth??) and that breastfeeding a baby over 7 months is a form of child abuse!

Wow I live in France now and I knew the breastfeeding rates were bad but I didn't know that about the ped. That explains a lot though, especially the lack of accurate breastfeeding info doctors seem to possess. Someone in my french convo group said the French only breastfeed for 3 months so they can get their figure back. I don't know that its true but it made us laugh.

[ASusan]

Originally Posted by PatioGardener

Me too! I love how this Indian Unicef film blurs Mama's face but not her breast!
http://www.breastcrawl.org/video.htm

Loved the video - and I learned something! That newborn kicks on the belly stimulate the uterus to contract and expel the placenta - neat!

[Addie]

I lived in Mauritania, on the western coast of Africa. In general women are very discreet there, though the definition of discreet varies among the different cultures and ethnic groups - for example, some groups wear head-to-toe veils, while others wear more form-fitting clothes but still cover their heads. Similar to what a PP said about Tanzania, the sexual, forbidden zone of a woman's body is the area between her waist and her knees. This area is always, always covered. Breasts, not so much. It was common for even the most conservative women to wear garments that were essentially see-through on top, with openings under the arms that exposed the breasts during movement. Women were always NIPing. Even though there is a huge separation of the sexes, women would nurse in front of men without a thought.