So, that TIME cover...
The most recent cover of the US version of TIME magazine had a picture of a woman breastfeeding. This is controversial enough in the US, but additionally, the breastfeeding child was 3 years old, male, and standing on a chair so he could reach her breast as she stood. The accompanying headline: 'Are you MOM ENOUGH? Why attachment parenting drives some mothers to extremes, and how Dr Bill Sears became their guru.'
Needless to say, this elicited a lot of comment in the parenting blogosphere.
My first thought was 'nice, a photo of extended breastfeeding'. Second thought: '"Mom enough"? WTF? It's not a competition!' Third thought: 'Attachment parenting drives parents to extremes?! So much wrong with that I don't even know where to start.'
Here are some other people's thoughts:
http://mothering.com/all-things-mothering/baby-2/breastfeeding/times-take-on-toddler-nursing-a-madonna-her-child-and-a-chair
Focuses on the image and how it is deliberately presented to shock (and how ridiculous it is that this image is shocking while other images showing breasts are not, because sexy is fine as long as you're selling something....)
http://jasongood.net/365/2012/05/from-breasts-to-boobs-and-back-again/
If you see the breasts in this image as solely sex objects, and therefore the image as incestuous and wrongitty wrong wrong, that's in your head. Breasts have multiple functions, and we should recognise that. (But he says it much more amusingly.)
http://hoydenabouttown.com/20120514.11754/that-attachment-parenting-time-cover/
The cover as a perfect example of how the media sets up 'mommy wars'.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/16/time-breast-feeding-weaning-primates_n_1521831.html
Doesn't mention the cover, but gives some info about weaning ages in non-Western societies and other primates suggesting the average age at weaning for humans should be around 3.
http://kim-lock.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/liberation-of-mothering-instinctively.html
How attachment parenting saved her from PND, and how bizarre it is that babies and mothering are so undervalued in our culture that AP is seen as 'extreme'. (Lots of other good stuff on this blog too.)
Has anyone else seen any particularly interesting responses? What do the non-mothers on my f-list think of the cover? M-ra, I'd be especially interested in what you think, given your work on the presentation of female images.
ETA:
Interviews with the mums who were photgraphed for the TIME cover.
http://kellymom.com/blog-post/time-apmoms-interview/
Bluemilk quotes a collection of responses and talks about her disappointment with some feminist sites buying into the mother wars.
http://bluemilk.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/feminists-a-little-perspective-please/
(cross-posted to DW)
Needless to say, this elicited a lot of comment in the parenting blogosphere.
My first thought was 'nice, a photo of extended breastfeeding'. Second thought: '"Mom enough"? WTF? It's not a competition!' Third thought: 'Attachment parenting drives parents to extremes?! So much wrong with that I don't even know where to start.'
Here are some other people's thoughts:
http://mothering.com/all-things-mothering/baby-2/breastfeeding/times-take-on-toddler-nursing-a-madonna-her-child-and-a-chair
Focuses on the image and how it is deliberately presented to shock (and how ridiculous it is that this image is shocking while other images showing breasts are not, because sexy is fine as long as you're selling something....)
http://jasongood.net/365/2012/05/from-breasts-to-boobs-and-back-again/
If you see the breasts in this image as solely sex objects, and therefore the image as incestuous and wrongitty wrong wrong, that's in your head. Breasts have multiple functions, and we should recognise that. (But he says it much more amusingly.)
http://hoydenabouttown.com/20120514.11754/that-attachment-parenting-time-cover/
The cover as a perfect example of how the media sets up 'mommy wars'.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/16/time-breast-feeding-weaning-primates_n_1521831.html
Doesn't mention the cover, but gives some info about weaning ages in non-Western societies and other primates suggesting the average age at weaning for humans should be around 3.
http://kim-lock.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/liberation-of-mothering-instinctively.html
How attachment parenting saved her from PND, and how bizarre it is that babies and mothering are so undervalued in our culture that AP is seen as 'extreme'. (Lots of other good stuff on this blog too.)
Has anyone else seen any particularly interesting responses? What do the non-mothers on my f-list think of the cover? M-ra, I'd be especially interested in what you think, given your work on the presentation of female images.
ETA:
Interviews with the mums who were photgraphed for the TIME cover.
http://kellymom.com/blog-post/time-apmoms-interview/
Bluemilk quotes a collection of responses and talks about her disappointment with some feminist sites buying into the mother wars.
http://bluemilk.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/feminists-a-little-perspective-please/
(cross-posted to DW)