@redfeather: “there’s no reason those women can’t drape a light blanket over themselves like I did”
I’ll readily admit that this is a sensitive topic for me and I have been surrounded by it for 8+ years. And I find what you said to be a common reaction of many people. If a woman is especially modest and decides to put their kid under a blanket to eat, then I have no problem with this. That’s her decision. However, for it to be expected – or for it to be considered offensive if she doesn’t is where I have a problem. I’m not saying that this is what you’re saying, and I apologize if I am assigning to you an attitude you don’t have.
I suspect that it “weirds” people out because the US has dismal breastfeeding rates, and it just isn’t that common to see. Believe me, when you see it enough, it really does look like a child getting fed. I’m a heterosexual male who’s obsessed with breasts (surprise). However, I’ve been surrounded by breasts (not my wife’s) in the context of breastfeeding for 8+ years, and there hasn’t been a single moment that I thought, “wow, I get to peek at a boob”. It’s the least-sexual context I can think of. If there are 5 women in a room and 4 of them have their breasts out nursing their babies, the only breasts I am checking out is the one not breastfeeding.
Breasts can be beautiful, sexually-attractive body parts. However, they can also just be a food source, providing babies with the best nutrition available to them. If more women breastfed, I believe most people wouldn’t be so offended or shocked. The women who had to get a glimpse of the breast would be unfazed, and the men would continue scoping out all of the other, clothed breasts in the room.
EDIT: Crap, did I just invite a sh*tstorm of hate posts against me. I think I should consider not posting in threads about topics I feel strongly about.