Photo of breastfeeding Guardswomen stirs debate

[Maxadia]

The US military has already stated that it was not a political purpose, but was an educational one.

Round and round we go.

After the fact, correct?

 

[armyvern]

After the fact, correct?

Yep; and the debate is moot and has been since the get-go. It isn't political for them. It's educational.

They are the ones whose opinion counts - and they are done with it and have decided it wasn't political or pro-money. Pretty cut and dry to me it seems. It's done. No biggie.

 

[Strike]

After the fact, correct?

Exactly.

 

[ttlbmg]

Question to pose though: would you feel the same if it was a photo of two women, in uniform, bottle feeding their children? What if the photo was promoting women bottle feeding their children as a healthy alternative to breastfeeding their children? Would there be all this fuss? Probably not, amazing how much stir a boob causes. As soon as there is a possible connotation of "sexuality" then there is an issue.

Also, I wouldn't akin the abortion issue here; that opens an ENTIRELY different can of worms.

 

[armyvern]

Question to pose though: would you feel the same if it was a photo of two women, in uniform, bottle feeding their children? What if the photo was promoting women bottle feeding their children as a healthy alternative to breastfeeding their children? Would there be all this fuss? Probably not, amazing how much stir a boob causes. As soon as there is a possible connotation of "sexuality" then there is an issue.

Also, I wouldn't akin the abortion issue here; that opens an ENTIRELY different can of worms.

No, there wouldn't be. It would just be a pic of two women feeding their kids. Which is, ironically, exactly what these two women are doing in their pic. I guarantee a google search of military moms feeding kids would probably reveal umpteen thousands of pics of military mom in uniform stuffing their kids with KD, hotdogs etcs ... you know "real food".

 

[Maxadia]

They are the ones whose opinion counts - and they are done with it and have decided it wasn't political or pro-money. Pretty cut and dry to me it seems. It's done. No biggie.

Great attitude.  Easier to ask forgiveness later than permission first. 

Try that out for a few weeks at your unit.  Let us know how well that goes.

 

[armyvern]

Great attitude.  Easier to ask forgiveness later than permission first. 

Try that out for a few weeks at your unit.  Let us know how well that goes.

I've already stated that I fed my kids, in public, in uniform, 20 years ago and that there is pics. I guess ... if that's unprofessional then my career is fucked. Let me know how I make out OK?

 

[ttlbmg]

You still didn't answer the question though, would it bother you to see a woman bottle feeding her child in uniform?

 

[Maxadia]

You still didn't answer the question though, would it bother you to see a woman bottle feeding her child in uniform?

Not sure if you're directing that at me?

If you are, no.  If it was a female member doing it for a photo shoot without their CoC's permission in order to advance a political agenda - yes.

 

[Jarnhamar]

You still didn't answer the question though, would it bother you to see a woman bottle feeding her child in uniform?

Is her shirt unbuttoned and breasts partially exposed?

 

[armyvern]

Is her shirt unbuttoned and breasts partially exposed?

Mine were; I was breastfeeding. The intent was not to 'expose' myself; it was to feed my kids.

 

[PMedMoe]

Is her shirt unbuttoned and breasts partially exposed?

Seriously?  :

If you are, no.  If it was a female member doing it for a photo shoot without their CoC's permission in order to advance a political agenda - yes.

That's exactly the point.  I don't see anyone here arguing for or against breastfeeding, breastfeeding in public, soldiers breastfeeding or even soldiers breastfeeding in uniform, in public, or photos of it.  The argument is against deliberately using said photos to promote something (regardless if political or not) without the CoC's permission.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Really people?

Three pages of  :argument: and no one has budged. You've closed the circle at least three times already.

I think it's about time that you all went and found something constructive to do for awhile.

Milnet.ca Staff

 

[Jarnhamar]

Mine were; I was breastfeeding. The intent was not to 'expose' myself; it was to feed my kids.

I'm not making a joke but maybe a big issue with people is that they see mothers breastfeeding in uniform as being "out of uniform"?

I don't understand why people are against breastfeeding. My wife actually asked me permission if it was okay if she breastfed in the living room. Then she'd ask me if it was okay if she did it while we were in public.  I never knew it was a silly huge issue.

It's interesting what Bruce was saying where his wife was vilified for NOT breast feeding.

Seriously?  :

I didn't mean that satirically.  I'm trying to understand why people would even have an issue with this and guess that maybe the nudity or something bugs people?


*posted after staff chimmed in, didn't see it at first sorry

 

[Jarnhamar]

xx

 

[PMedMoe]

I'm trying to understand why people would even have an issue with this and guess that maybe the nudity or something bugs people?

Read the rest of my post.  It's not the breastfeeding that's the issue.

 

[McG]

Indeed.  If the photographs were done for the purpose of a health service message to new mothers, they still would have required the approval of the involved soldiers' respective chains of command.  Both that is not what happened either.  The issue was uniformed service personnel participating in policical advocacy.

What they [the website] do is advocate for ...

The issue continuing to push this thread is that Military personnel should not be using their status to support polical advocacy for any cause.  In this case of the photoshoot in question, it was for a cuase that most Canadians would support - but does that make it right for service member to deliberately allow themself to become a tool of this advocacy? 

 

[armyvern]

Indeed.  If the photographs were done for the purpose of a health service message to new mothers, they still would have required the approval of the involved soldiers' respective chains of command.  Both that is not what happened either.  The issue was uniformed service personnel participating in policical advocacy.

The issue continuing to push this thread is that Military personnel should not be using their status to support polical advocacy for any cause.  In this case of the photoshoot in question, it was for a cuase that most Canadians would support - but does that make it right for service member to deliberately allow themself to become a tool of this advocacy?

Mom2Mom is the military sanctioned On-Base support group for 120 nursing military moms and wives of soldiers located on the base in question. This group is an on-base and sanctioned entity that took pictures of it's members breastfeeding their children for posting on their base support group site in honour of Augusts' breastfeeding awareness month.

There was no intent to promote a personal cause or to promote a political agenda outside of that authorized support group (which is against the rules). The photograph in question was originally meant to educate other military women on that base that breastfeeding in uniform is allowable and acceptable (which is not against the rules). I guess we could call that promoting a "personal" cause that is already sanctioned as appropriate by the base. Their superiors are calling it educational.

That someone has since taken that pic and turned it into a political and personal "defecating the uniform" cause does not mean that is what originally occurred.

The comments are quite entertaining. There's now some stating that "this pic may as well be of them pissing on the uniform" for crying out loud. Really. These girls had their pic posted in an authorized Base support group. It's not their agendas in this I'd question, but rather the agendas of some of the commentators.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

There was no intent to promote a personal cause or to promote a political agenda outside of that authorized support group (which is against the rules). The photograph in question was originally meant to educate other military women on that base that breastfeeding in uniform is allowable and acceptable

I guess just telling them that wouldn't do it??...cause we all know women are stupid and all. :

I love how you make this stuff up out of thin air.............unless you're a mind reader you have no idea why they published it.

 

[armyvern]

I guess just telling them that wouldn't do it??...cause we all know women are stupid and all. :

I love how you make this stuff up out of thin air.............unless you're a mind reader you have no idea why they published it.

I actually visited the site and scrolled from the beginning of the pics onset and intent and read the full commentary of their superiors when "the pic hit the fan".

I love how others turn it into something it wasn't with nary a glance back to it's origins; something that I am happy that their superiors, at least, did.