Mothers all over the world shared breastfeeding selfies aka “brelfies” on social media last week after a British commentator called the practice “an attention-seeking spectacle” and criticized women who partake in such “naked exhibitionism.”
In a February 25 brelfie-themed segment on the U.K. talk show “This Morning,” mom and freelance journalist Angela Epstein accused mothers who post such photos of “flaunting” their bodies and ability to breastfeed. “This whole brelfie cult smacks of naked exhibitionism,” she said, adding, “‘It is an attention-seeking spectacle which uses children almost as a commodity, parading them around and saying, ‘isn’t it great? I can breastfeed.'”
In response to Epstein’s comments, mothers across the U.K. and beyond shared their own breastfeeding selfies, along with hashtags like #brelfie, #normalizebreastfeeding and #brelfiesarenatural. In a world where women are still habitually shamed for nursing in public and sharing their breastfeeding photos on social media, it is clear that moms are eager to show that these images are not exhibitionist spectacles but rather a natural part of everyday life.
Why is #brelfie such a big deal? Women have been posting photos of them bottle feeding children for years! pic.twitter.com/Ngiuqa9TZE
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#Brelfie #Mama #Hijo #MomentoMágico #Miradas #VinculoAfectivo #Amor #Alimento
Te amo bebé precioso! pic.twitter.com/TIm6fjtMBt
— Maria Pia Abarca (@mapiabsi) February 26, 2015
To see more #brelfie pictures, check out the hashtag on Twitter.
H/T Bustle
