It’s no secret that when it comes to the normalization of women publicly breastfeeding, people still have some growing up to do. Women are still criticized and asked to “cover it up,” despite the needs of a hungry infant and this being the most normal act ever.
While more women are speaking up and sharing personal tales in an effort to normalize breastfeeding, one shopping mall in Colombia has one-upped retailers all over the world. The largest shopping center in the country just rolled out breastfeeding mannequins.
As noted by the HuffPo, in a report from Ruptly, the Bogotá’s Centro Mayor shopping mall unveiled the mannequins in several stores in April in an “initiative to change attitudes about breastfeeding in public.”
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The move was set in motion by the organization Amigos de la Lactancia (Friends of Breastfeeding). Amigos de la Lactancia supports mothers who’ve been criticized for breastfeeding publicly.
Earlier today, in a bold move on the parliament floor, a senator from Queensland Australia breastfed her child for the world to see. Larissa Waters challenged the status quo by simply feeding her two-month-old daughter, Alia Joy. "So proud that my daughter Alia is the first baby to be breastfed in the federal Parliament! We need more #women & parents in Parli #auspol," Waters said in a tweet earlier today.
While it’s crucial to continue seeing brave women take a stand, especially in our current political landscape, this is just one slice of the pie. We’re all in this together. Businesses and communities also play a major role in what we deem socially acceptable. For every lawmaker and celebrity who’ve bared a breast in the name of feeding a child, there are countless churches, schools, sporting events, and the like who’ve tossed mothers out in the cold.
Your move, American shopping malls.
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