Breastfeeding Celebrity Moms

There have been more than a few images floating around of celebrity mom’s “multitasking” as they get their hair and make-up done and simultaneously breastfeeding.

An article on ABC News about Gisele Bundchen instagramming a picture of herself getting her hair, make-up and nails done while she was breastfeeding was attacked and defended. Some found the picture to be obnoxious while others marveled at how natural the whole thing looked. Bundchen didn’t defend the picture but rather breastfeeding in general, “Some people here (in the U.S.) think they don’t have to breastfeed, and I think ‘Are you going to give chemical food to your child when they are so little? I think there should be a worldwide law, in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their babies for six months.”

Alyssa Milano was also recently photographed as she was getting ready and breastfeeding as well. She was also described as “multitasking” in an article by The Huffington Post.

The idea that these photos may be “outrageous” or “obnoxious” is not fair. First something has to be realized, while it may seem obnoxious, this is the actual lifestyle that these women lead. Part of the reason that they are well-known public figures is that they are beautiful and they maintain their looks. So it is not unusual for them to be getting their hair, make-up and nails done. Adding a breastfeeding baby to the mix, to them, could very well be multitasking.

Second, these women are putting it out there for everyone to see which should actually be looked at as a positive thing. They are making it so that it’s okay for women everywhere to breastfeed in public if they need or want to. If breastfeeding is something that you consider to be “private” and don’t want to do in public, you don’t have to. Bundchen and Milano are just making it so that you don’t have to go hide in a dark little room somewhere and do a natural thing, feed your child, in private. So in that sense, they should be defended and celebrated.

Lisa Belkin, a previous Huffington Post senior columnist summarized what the photographs represent, “what we as a society should want for every mother — the ability to feed her child as best she can, do work she loves, and feel supported throughout.”

In another article, titled I Support You: The Conversation We Should Be Having About Breastfeeding And FormulaBelkin addresses how women should support the methods in which they choose to feed their children.