Let’s talk about breasts.

Everyone has them. Why are Americans so afraid of them? Specifically, why are we so afraid of them doing their job? I’ve been following this topic online for quite some time, and I’ve begun to see some patterns in the anti-public breastfeeding arguments.

1. Why can’t a woman just take her child to the bathroom or cover up?

For the same reason I wouldn’t ask you to take your meal into a restaurant’s bathroom. It’s unhygienic. Babies don’t follow a schedule of when they’re hungry. If a mother just had her food brought to the table and her baby decided they wanted to eat right then, would you ask her to get up, leave her warm meal and go feed her baby in a dirty bathroom while her friends and family get to sit around, enjoying each other’s company and food?

2. They’re sexual; can I walk around with my dick out?

Breasts are sexualized, not sexual. The primary sex characteristics are the parts of a human’s body that are directly involved in reproduction:

Females

- Vagina

- Ovaries

Males

- Penis

- Testes

These are the “sexual organs.” They are the one’s actively used in reproduction. Secondary sex characteristics are what develop or change during puberty:

Females

-Enlargement of the breasts

-Widening of the hips

Males

-Enlargement of the Adam’s apple

-Growth of facial hair

*Note: This is not exhaustive.

Secondary sex characteristics are believed to be used in the process of choosing a mate. Yes, you are supposed to be attracted to breasts (large breasts subconsciously convey the ability to effectively nourish a child), but no, they are no more “sexual” than a man’s facial hair. Unless you wish to cover up your Adam’s apple and beard, please quit saying that breasts are sexual.

3. If a woman can breastfeed in public, why can’t I piss/defecate/masturbate in public?

As much as I wish I was exaggerating, I have seen each of those used as an argument before. All of those are legally considered bio-hazards. Breast milk is not. That alone should be enough of a reason. Breast milk is used to sustain human life; mothers are keeping their child alive with her breasts.

4. Just put a cover over the baby's head.

Ah, of course! That would solve all the problems, except that some babies refuse to eat if they're covered. It can get hot under the blanket, maybe the baby doesn't like the feel of the fabric or maybe the baby just wants to see what's going on. So now, instead of having a baby quietly eating at the table or bus seat near you, you have a screaming fussy child disrupting everyone.

5. I don’t want my children seeing breasts in public.

Why? Because they will ask questions?

“Mommy, why is that lady’s chest so big?”

“Those are called breasts and she uses them to feed her baby.”

“Oh, okay.” And the toddler returns to picking his nose. Breastfeeding use to be explained to children on daytime TV. "Sesame Street" actually had two episodes where mothers breastfed during the episode.

That's right. Breastfeeding on children's TV show. It was explained as simple, natural and good bonding time for the mother and baby. There was no stigma. Children learned something new and then went on to a different segment.

Nowadays, flip on your TV to one of the main cable networks. How long does it take for a commercial to pop up with breasts being used as a main selling point? Odds are not long. Hardee’s is well known for using this tactic. Next time you’re in line at the grocery store, flip through some magazines. Cars, perfume, even cell phone companies use breasts to sell their products.

Celebrities have worn less than what a bikini covers on Primetime TV.

But breastfeeding? Oh no.

Exposing children to the idea of breasts at a young age takes away the mystery and magic that has a teenage boy flipping through his biology book under the covers late at night after you go to bed. Breasts are seen as naughty, so of course teenagers are going to be curious. Is he still going to be attracted to breasts? Of course, but he will also hopefully have learned that breasts aren’t these dirty things that need to be covered up.

6. It’s not modest!

If you look closely, you can actually see two different women breastfeeding in this painting from 1871:

There was also the fad of having your picture taken in 1800s while breastfeeding your child:

How about a mother feeding her baby in the 1950s:

Leonardo Da Vinci even painted a picture of the Virgin Mary, the symbol of purity, breastfeeding baby Jesus. And this picture was widely displayed, not hidden in some perverted old man's basement.

Mothers are not throwing their breasts out to grab attention. Many mothers are actually very self-conscious of their bodies post-birth. They are just trying to do what has been instinctively ingrained in them: Keep your offspring alive.

I don't understand why Americans are so angry at women for using their breasts to do what they were actually designed to do.

This:

A-okay.

But this:

How indecent. What are we teaching our children?

You see less of the boob from the breastfeeding mother than you do with the bikini photo shoot, but only the first one is shamed. Why?

Society has it so twisted that as long as the breasts are sexy and appealing, it's perfectly fine. Wear those itty-bitty swimsuits and low cut shirts. How fashionable.

Feeding a baby? Well, the mother is obviously seeking attention. We don't need breasts out in public. How inappropriate. Our breasts do not exist to be a marketing ad. And women are finally stepping up.

Model Ashley Nicole posted an Instagram photo of herself breastfeeding her son with the caption

"Was on the way out the door but then mommy duty called...Everything stops for him!"

The picture was then slammed with negative comments, from calling the picture "vulgar" to saying she was "attention-whoring."

So how did Ashley respond? By joining a demonstration in South Florida in support of a mother who was kicked out of mall for breastfeeding.

You go girl.

Mothers, know your rights. In 49 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands women are protected by laws that allow them to breastfeed in any location, public or private. Idaho is the only state that does not have such laws.

Take back your breasts. If you are a breastfeeding mother, go out and enjoy yourselves. Feel no shame in knowing that what you are doing is natural. End the stigma.