I’m a huge proponent of breast feeding and extended breast feeding and I’m enraged by anyone or anything coming between a mom feeding her child. There’s nothing more natural than a mom feeding her young. Heck, she did it for 9+ months and no one had anything to say about it. But for the love of god please stop calling your breasts, boobs, or some other weird nickname.
When I was a kid I called my vagina a “pee-pee” or my “privates”. Now little girls are taught to call it a vagina or a vulva. And respectively young boys are taught to call their testicles and penis by their proper names. But when it comes to a mom’s breasts they are still getting a slang name. Boob quite literally means a foolish or stupid person or a mistake. Why are we allowing something so positive to be called something so derogative?
Of course I have referred to my breasts as boobs. We all do it without thinking. From the moment I found out I was bringing a little person into the world, I started examining my language and the language around me regarding body image, gender, and sexuality. I started noticing moms mouthing the word breasts and using nick names like boobs when asking their child if they wanted to nurse. It made me wonder why we are so embarrassed to call them by their real name. Why do we shy away from using the word breasts?
If we want to normalize breast feeding and get the respect we all know we deserve around nursing and pumping in public, let’s stop calling them boobs. Let’s lead by example and show the world the kind of respect we are asking for.
It starts with us moms. Our sons and daughters will call them whatever we call them so teach them the proper name for this wonderful, nurturing, amazing body part. Breasts are not “foolish” “stupid” or a “mistake”. Let’s call them what they are.
Stand up tall, push your breasts out, and say it loud and proud. BREASTS.
PS: I’ll be sharing this post on these blogs.
