Body Autonomy, Public Breastfeeding, and Hair Covering

 This post contains some images that contain nudity and controversial subject matter. These images are not meant to offend, only to spur thoughtful conversation.

Body Autonomy is a term I've been using a lot lately in public discussions on Facebook and in various forums. This term means that a person has the right to reveal or cover what they see fit, the right to do to their body as they like, etc. In particular to the current conversations, this term means that a woman should have the right to comfortably cover or not cover as she sees fit and should not be pressured, oppressed, subjugated, discriminated against, etc when it comes to what she wears or doesn't wear.

Public Breastfeeding

The Dreaded Nipple!
The argument here is, of course, why is it men can easily walk around without a shirt on and not be told to cover their nipples but heaven forbid a woman reveal a nipple! This could cause someone to go into a sexual fury ala viking berserker and rampage a local Victoria Secret.
Commentary about public breastfeeding has included men threatening to grab the exposed breast and even one man threatening to pull out his penis and masturbate while comparing expelling breast milk to ejaculation. Milder cases of discrimination against breastfeeding, which is legal to do wherever the woman and her child are able to be at in most states, include being asked to leave a public pool (by men with their nipples exposed), being told to nurse in public restrooms, and having photos of them and their child taken and posted publicly without permission.

The fact is, this much fear and hatred and stigma about an inch or two of skin that is being used to feed a baby is ridiculous. In my personal experience, most people tend to be worried about their young sons seeing my breast while I nurse. My response? Teach your sons not to sexualize the feeding of a child, women who are not engaged in sexual activity, and to mind their own business.

Don't/Cover Your Hair!

Recently, media has exploded with the controversy of France and Germany banning burkinis at beaches and rumors of further bans of traditional head covers to "protect secularsm." I could rant all day about how upset I am about this whole issue as a woman, a pagan, and as someone who has recently started hair covering for personal and devotional reasons.

I wanted to share this article from Kim Hjelgaard on USA Today and how it notes the different aspects of this issue and clears up a lot of questions I had.

I cannot imagine 4 armed police officers stopping me while enjoying a day our with my child and telling me I had to take clothes off because covering my body was endangering secularism. The very thought makes me nauseous and my blood boils.

When I saw this conversation on a friends feed on Facebook, I was surprised by the responses on liberal feminist women. I think I expected women who promote feminist rights and causes to desire to protect a woman's right to cover. Alas I was met with the following conversation:

(to the first image posted in this blog)
Karen: Bullshit pretty sure no woman in the world is forced to be nude subjugation plain and simple stop making excuses and men can shut it because they will never be forced to wear the viel.
Lee: I lived as a woman for the first 25 years of my life, and have first hand experience with being objectivefied and judged under the male gaze. That is the voice I speak from, not as a "man," but as someone who has walked as a woman.
During that time, I did have experiences of being shamed by men for wearing too much at the beach. I do know women of various faith backgrounds find wearing clothing that is covering to be empowering, and am sharing from that perspective.
...
Zira: I disagree completely. I don't think there is anything empowering about a patriarchal religion that demands that women behave differently from men. That is oppression, plain and simple. That is not an opinion, that is a fact. Women who think their religiously demanded (and male imposed) clothing choices are empowering, are sadly brainwashed.
Me: The thing is, many women choose to cover not because of a patriarchal religion. I have recently taken on hair covering as a Northern Tradition Pagan because of my devotion to Frigga who has encouraged this.
Not all women who cover are oppressed which is something I dont think a lot of people consider.
Zira: December Fields-Bryant I understand the extremely rare situation in which a head covering is requested via religion and is not oppressive, but Islamic head/body coverings do not fall into that category. And no many women do not "choose" to cover for other reasons than patriarchal demands. a very very few women choose for those other reasons, but that's not what we're talking about. Of course, forcing a woman out of her burkini is a terrible, terrible thing to do and I don't support that at all. I just refuse to call wearing those kinds of clothes a "choice" when it is a demand in which the refusal to comply is often a harsh beating, permanent disfigurement or death.
Me: Its hard to be understanding to your statement here when you said it is a "fact" that women who cover are oppressed and make no differentiation between women who choose to wrap and women who are mandated.
We are talking about body autonomy here - that is what the above image is about.
Women who are mandated to cover are not going to feel comfortable just throwing off the clothes they've worn since childhood because another group says they should and tells them they are brainwashed.
Women and Men both need to honor body autonomy no matter what it looks like. That is the conversation we are having here.
Then Shelly shared this lovely image quote:

Final Note:

I understand the desire to liberate women from oppressive religions and societies, however, what we are seeing here is not philanthropy it is only fear and ignorance. 

I understand the desire to make sure our children are not exposed to sex too early but breastfeeding a baby is not sex, its feeding. The fact that people confuse the two is more troubling to me than seeing someone nude.

More on Body Autonomy:

The Rape of the Lock - a Druid Priestess' hair is cut without consent while she sleeps at a Druid festival.