Subscribe BREASTFEEDING These vintage photos remind us all that public breastfeeding is nothing new Shaming women for public breastfeeding continues to flood the news, but these vintage photos prove women have been doing this for centuries. By Kevin John Siazon January 10, 2020 Photo: Rene Johnson via Facebook Recently, the internet has been flooded with stories of moms being shamed for breastfeeding in public—it’s truly exhausting that we’re still talking about this, right? But what if we told you that nursing your baby in public spaces used to be the norm? Yep, as one mom on Facebook points out, telling moms who are nursing in public to cover up is beyond archaic—even the Puritans didn’t make a big deal about it! In her post, Rene Johnson shares around 30 vintage photos of women breastfeeding their children in public spaces. Though we can’t vouch for the context of the photos (she provide very few details regarding where they were taken, in what year and what exactly is happening each photo), we do know that these mamas are feeling no shame for feeding their babies while they were out and about. Take a look: Pretty incredible, right? Since uploading, her post has almost 50,000 reactions and has been shared over 105,000 times. Mom shamed for breastfeeding at Disneyland serves up the *perfect* punishment In her post, Johnson quotes an article from Breastfeeding USA that says, “Our foremothers were expected to maintain a busy household, which included feeding the baby, and breastfeeding in the market or other public areas was not a cause for uproar.” Now, some might argue that moms are busier than ever, and therefore even more in need of breastfeeding-on-the-go without shame. So, let’s all agree to quit judging and let nursing moms feed their babies in peace. Read more: 5 tips for breastfeeding in public with complete confidence These life-sized cut-outs of breastfeeding moms are genius Related ‘You’re STILL nursing?!’ and other things to never say to a mom who breastfeeds her toddler What it’s like to hear ‘breast is best’ when you literally don’t have breasts When you’re plus-size, you get a lot more side-eye for breastfeeding in public My small breasts were an even bigger disappointment when they couldn’t feed my son It's time to retire the phrase "breast is best" once and for all Powered by © Copyright 2021 St. Joseph Communications. About Us Contact Us Ad Choices Advertise Privacy Policy Terms of Use Customer Care St. Joseph Communications uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. Learn more or change your cookie preferences. By continuing to use our service, you agree to our use of cookies.