Another day, another piece of lacto-porn, another super-model kidding herself that she’s “normalizing” breastfeeding.
Nicole Trunfio, commenting on the above cover photo for Australian Elle Magazine, tells E! Online:
“There is nothing more powerful and beautiful than motherhood. The last thing I want to do is be controversial, so please take this for what it is, let us #normalizebreastfeeding there is nothing worse than a mother that is judged for feeding her hungry child in public,” she writes.
“#weareonlyhuman I’m so proud of this cover and for what it’s stands for. I obviously don’t look like this while I am breastfeeding but this stands for all women out there, whether you breastfeed or not, we gave birth, we are women, we are mothers. Thank you to ELLE for being so bold and making such an encouraging, positive and healthy statement.
Sure Nicole, just like this photo normalizes vaccines:
And like this photo normalizes policewomen:
We recognize these photos as pornography and Trunfio’s cover photo resembles them in all the details: exposure of breasts, come hither look, sexy outfit. The only difference is the props. Instead of using a hypodermic or crime tape as a prop, Trunfio uses her son.
Some commentors are thrilled.
According to Alessandra Dubin at Today.com Style:
Model Nicole Trunfio graces the June cover of Elle Australia, in a photo shot by Georges Antoni, in which she nurses her 4-month-old son. The model and first-time mom wears an open suede coat while her babe, Zion, is in the buff.
In addition to making a gorgeous image, it also makes a powerful statement, given the uniqueness of such a scene on a highly visible piece of media.
Sara Bliss, writing for Yahoo Beauty says:
The image has struck a cord on social media, with the hashtag #normalizebreastfeeding taking off. It’s especially powerful at a time when women publicly breastfeeding their children is sometimes seen as something that should be hidden away. Trunfio looks radiant, happy, relaxed. The image captures a beautiful, everyday motherhood moment (except of course the ultra-glamorous aspect, breastfeeding can be painful, exhausting, and messy).
I disagree that it normalizes breastfeeding. It does exactly what those who promote breastfeeding should be trying to avoid. It sexualizes breastfeeding instead of portraying it as what it is: a mother nourishing her child with no effort to titillate (the use of the word is not coincidental) the others around her.
If we want to normalize breastfeeding, we shouldn’t be making breastfeeding pornography. Yes, it sells magazines, and it undoubtedly gets people talking, but it hardly sending the message that should be sent:
Babies need to eat; mothers need to feed them; and they should be able to do so publicly without being harassed by sexual prudes.
If we want to normalize breastfeeding, we shouldn’t be posting lacto-porn on magazine covers. We should be providing every woman with the opportunity to breastfeed wherever and whenever her baby needs to be fed.
Using breasts to sell magazines doesn’t normalize breastfeeding; it normalizes the sexism of using breasts to sell magazines.
