in brief: new mothers make viral video in response to society’s view of breastfeeding in public
Juliet Moody and Catherine Crowley of the band, Sparrow Folk, have hit back against gendered social prejudices with an entertaining video clip about the uncomfortable experiences of breast-feeding in public. The video has since gone viral.
The video, dubbed ‘Ruin your day,’ shows both Moody and Crowley in a café (The Cupping Room, a local Canberra café) being judged and looked down upon by fellow patrons as they breast fed their babies.
The two are tired of feeing self conscious when they have their motherly duties to fulfill in public.
‘It frustrated me that it was such an issue,’ Moody states, ‘and it made me step back and say, “what is the real problem here?” Then we thought that if we made it a bit of a joke that boobs are scary and frightening, it might make people think, “OK, what is my actual problem with it – if I see someone feeding, what am I worried is going to happen to me?”
The video clip has garnered over 150,000 views and has received positive feedback from here as well as Canada and the United States. Crowley hopes that new mothers will view it as their mantra: “lots of people want it as their ringtone – it’s become an anthem and women have said they’ll sing it next time they get a dirty look or comment.”
The girls are right, why should this necessary act of motherhood be publicly looked down upon? We should remember that breasts are also functional parts of the body and not just the overly sexualized objects that society has shaped them to be!
(Editor’s Note: My favourite line: ‘Everybody knows new mothers are exhibitionists. Taking every chance they get to ruin your day with tits.’ – Ruby).
