Why This Breastfeeding Mom Used A Victoria’s Secret Ad To Hide Her Breast

Credit: Maria Corry
Credit: Maria Corry

Florida mom and public breastfeeding supporter Maria Corry ran into some trouble when she posted the above photo on her personal Facebook page last month. The caption for the photo read, “I am not typically one to ever do this as I am very private when nursing but with all this nonsense about people bashing other mothers for nursing, I decided to post this. You can’t see much, but why do people get so worked up about this? NORMALIZE BREASTFEEDING! It’s nature! It’s what boobies are for!” And she is so right.

So when this same photo was reported more than five times for nudity, probably by her own Facebook friends, Corry decided to speak up again. She followed up the photo with another photo, but this time she added something special. Posed comfortably in her home, she was shown breastfeeding her baby again, but both her baby and her breast were behind a Victoria’s Secret ad. Her caption read, “So since my breastfeeding photo which showed NOTHING got reported more than FIVE times, I’m posting this. I bet this won’t be reported, because you can see this picture in every mall you step into, huge and blown up outside the store.”

Credit: Maria Corry
Credit: Maria Corry

Upon closer inspection, this Victoria’s Secret model is showing even more cleavage than Corry is in her first picture, so it seems as though even the mere hint of breastfeeding is repulsive to many, especially those that reported the photo. Corry has the right to be outraged, as public breastfeeding as a taboo act has become a growing trend, namely in the United States. The National Center for Biotechnology Information reported that in 2001, 57% of the national public believed that breastfeeding in public places should not be allowed. Although 49 states have made public breastfeeding legal, this de jure ruling for everyone to accept breastfeeding in public has not trickled down to the masses. Many women have faced employees and other customers telling them to cover up or breastfeed elsewhere at restaurants and stores, despite the law stating that they have the right to breastfeed where they choose.

What Corry has pointed out about the acceptability of model nudity and breastfeeding mom nudity is so critical of the public opinion in the U.S. It’s important to remember that feeding infants is what breasts were evolved for, and should be seen primarily for that function instead of placing the sexualized purpose first and accepting only that in public. The importance of feeding hungry babies whenever and wherever they ask to be fed surpasses the importance of Burberry and Victoria’s Secret ads.

Corry’s post has since been shared over 7,500 times and has hundreds of comments in support of her statement. Many mothers are posting their own “breast selfies” as well, as Corry specifically asked them to in response to show solidarity. Her story has been shared with outlets like Huffington Post and Cosmopolitan, and with this unexpected mass display of support, this mom and her husband are hoping to make it to the Ellen Degeneres Show, where they can celebrate public breastfeeding and share their story and experience.

What do you think of Corry’s posts and about public breastfeeding? Comment your thoughts below and share this article!


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