Breastfeeding seems to be the ongoing controversy that will never end. Whether it’s an argument over breastfeeding versus bottle feeding, or the ever-popular breastfeeding in public issue, it’s clear that people’s views are set, no matter what rules and regulations are in place.
There are many stores, restaurants, and other public places that have laws in place allowing women to publicly breastfeed their baby whenever they need. This can be a huge relief for mothers who can’t find a secluded place on short notice, or those who don’t want to go sit in their hot car with a blanket over their baby’s head. However, not every single place follows these laws, which one mother found out recently!
During a trip to the museum with her little one, Twitter user Vaguechera accidentally let her nipple show while breastfeeding. The staff at the Victoria and Albert Museum staff quickly told her to “cover up”, and she couldn’t help but notice the irony of the demand, considering where she was.
“Flashed a nanosecond of nipple while #breastfeeding and was asked to cover up in @V_and_A courtyard” the mother wrote on her Twitter page. This alone could cause a lot of parents and breastfeeding supports to get annoyed, but she wasn’t done there.
In addition to a photo of herself with her son in front of a statue of a woman breastfeeding, Vaguechera shared a few pictures of the statues present at the museum, and they were all topless.
“Am perplexed…” she wrote alongside the photos, obviously aware that it was strange that she was told to cover up amongst so many exposed breasts.
The mom clearly has a witty sense of humor, as she continued to post photos of statues and poking fun at the bare breast situation.
Eventually, the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum responded.
“V sorry. Our policy is clear: women may breastfeed wherever they like, wherever they feel comfortable & [should] not be disturbed” he wrote in a tweet.
“We're sorry to hear this. Women are welcome to breastfeed in the museum, and we also have quiet spaces for those who would prefer privacy.” another tweet from the museum read.
So, even though this museum did have rules in place allowing women to breastfeed, this Twitter user still got called out. It look like she evened the score, though. The museum is also looking into the incident further and ensuring that the staff is properly trained- especially regarding breastfeeding policies-going forward.
What do you think of this story?