I know that we aren’t silly enough to think that the trend of taking “selfie” photographs would wind down anytime soon, but we weren’t prepared for the current way it is being taken to an entirely new level. The newest trend among new moms is to take pictures of themselves breastfeeding (being referred to as “breastfeeding selfies”) and plaster them all over their social media networks.
Not everyone has the same mindset as to why they are taking part in this new phenomenon. Some feel that they simply want to share this special bonding moment between mother and child with their friends and family, some women are hiring photographers to capture this as an artistic moment, while others have set out to make a statement.
Breastfeeding Selfies: A Hot Trend For New Moms
A couple weeks ago, model Jamie Kennedy posted a breastfeeding selfie to her Instagram profile in order to use her fame to do good for new mothers. She told People Magazine, “I feel like now that I’m a mother, I realize that there’s a huge schism out there; that women feel judged because of what they choose to do and how they choose to feed their child. Why should we hide it?”
This trend has become so prominent, that the leading social network, Facebook, has even gone ahead and introduced a policy change—no longer considering these images as “porn” on their website. A Facebook spokesperson recently explained, “What we have done recently is modified the way we review photos reported to us for containing nudity to better examine the context of the photo. As a result of this, photos that show a nursing mother’s other breast will be allowed even if it is fully exposed, as will mastectomy photos showing a fully exposed other breast.”
It’s interesting to think about the reasoning behind the pictures, but I honestly don’t know if sharing a private moment like this would be something that I would be able to broadcast on social media. The main word that resonates inside me is “private” and how I see this as a special moment to share among you, your spouse and your new baby, not the entire would and then some.
I also can’t help but think that it ties into self image as well. Due to the shaming that can occur if you choose to bottle feed your baby, it seems as if women are putting these images out there to almost prove that they are “doing the right thing.” Yet while they have set out to prove this to the world, they contribute to further judging for the women who made the decision to bottle feed for reasons that are legitimately their own—and the “mommy shaming cycle” continues.
Would you post a breastfeeding selfie to Facebook?
This was originally published in Mommy Nearest Magazine.
Photo Credit: flickr
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