At London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, right in front of the statues which embrace open breastfeeding, a mother was asked to “cover up a bit” by a female staff member because she was nursing her kid. Later, however, the museum director apologised on social media.
On Saturday (August 12), the woman (goes by @vaguechera on Twitter) was forced to cover herself up when breastfeeding her baby. It was claimed that she had “flashed a nanosecond of nipple” while breastfeeding at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Flashed a nanosecond of nipple while #breastfeeding and was asked to cover up in @V_and_A courtyard. Am perplexed.... pic.twitter.com/T6VIRQbgrC
— Dr Vaguechera (@vaguechera) August 5, 2017
It was a celebration of the World Breastfeeding Week and the woman was nurturing her baby as any mother would do, regardless of place and time.
'I will throw you out of this museum with your naked breasts!' 'But I'm made of marble!' 'Oh sorry you're fine then' @V_and_A pic.twitter.com/HL0py3vJ7I
— Dr Vaguechera (@vaguechera) August 5, 2017
Instead of appreciating her effort, a woman staff member came up to her and insulted her for breastfeeding there.
'Excuse me madam, would you mind covering your breasts with this mask while you feed?' pic.twitter.com/yvRrcpbc3c
— Dr Vaguechera (@vaguechera) August 5, 2017
Upset by the behaviour, the woman didn’t shy away but instead to Twitter to point out the inhumanity. She lashed out at the museum official who had asked her to cover up on the social media site.
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“I had been attempting to be discreet and to feed under a cardigan, but with a distracted 1-year-old, it can be challenging,” she told HuffPost.
'All these naked breasts are putting people off their food' #vandaboob pic.twitter.com/jlo9CsIaDJ
— Dr Vaguechera (@vaguechera) August 5, 2017
On the upside, I had a lovely day at @v_and_a exploring depictions of breasts thru the ages and making lovely mammaries. I mean memories. pic.twitter.com/mMiL27WQZ8
— Dr Vaguechera (@vaguechera) August 5, 2017
Her tweet has garnered more than 8,000 likes and retweeted more than 4,000 times.
The clever mom pointed out the irony, posting photos of topless statues – mostly mothers – implying the nature of the bond between mother and child.
After her Twitter post, museum director Tristram Hunt apologised for the incident on social media.
He tweeted:
.@vaguechera V sorry. Our policy is clear: women may breastfeed wherever they like, wherever they feel comfortable & shld not be disturbed.
— Tristram Hunt (@TristramHuntVA) August 5, 2017
The museum released a statement following the incident: “Staff receive regular customer service training to provide the best care for our visitors. We’ll remind staff of our breastfeeding policy. We are investigating what happened but women are welcome to breastfeed in the museum & we have quiet spaces for those who prefer privacy.”
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The bold woman's message was loud and clear: Every breastfeeding mom in public should be highly confident to stand up and feed their baby whenever they want.
Even today, breastfeeding is considered unacceptable in public spaces. While many mothers have been shamed and criticized for this natural act, some call out the severity.
We are proud of these women!
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Feature Image Credit: BBC
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