What is it that we find so riveting about roller derby girls breastfeeding? ![]() Perhaps it's the contrast. The idea of rollerderby, the fact it's a contact sport and a little bad-ass, combined with the soft, nurturing role of breastfeeding mother. It's also an archetypal image- the Madonna and Child image- but with a twist. It's slightly subversive to combine the image of a full contact sport with the role of motherhood, especially breastfeeding. Even the visual contrast of the hard equipment with the softness of breastfeeding is interesting. It's wonderful, because it questions our notions of what women are, and what it means to be female. Blister Sister and Scarlet by Kate Wilhelm I included the above photo in my Sunday Feature on Kate Wilhelm. Wilhelm herself writes: "Derby throws any notions of femininity in your face. Yet many derby girls are mothers, (perhaps the ultimate "feminine" vocation), and the bouts are extremely family friendly. Immediately I wanted to get to know more about the women behind the derby personas. So, I invited myself into their homes, their private domestic spaces, the arena that is historically and culturally seen as women's space. I want the apparent incongruity of a derby girl in a domestic setting to cause the viewer to think about that incongruity and wonder if it is perhaps nothing more than a construct." ![]() I love these images because they broaden our idea of what it means to be a woman. These women are all strong and a little dangerous, but undeniably female and maternal as well. It shows different layers and facets of what it means to be female. It also shows a unique perspective on breastfeeding, and the more breastfeeding images we have out there the less likely it will be taboo.
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When the facebook page Earthy Motherhood was deleted recently it was among about five others that I heard about. The number of women deleted; midwives, doulas, artists and mothers, was overwhelming to me. It seemed that Facebook was indeed cleaning house, removing photos of childbirth and breastfeeding with abandon. Pages cropped up in support, among them Bring Back Earthy Motherhood, Bring Back Denver Doula and Bring Back Holly Marie Stewart. I started feeling rather hopeless about the whole thing, how many pages would continue going down, how many times would we have to rally ourselves to get them back, involve the media. Every time Facebook tells us it's an accident, that they didn't mean to delete these pages, these photos. Maybe it IS an accident. Most of us know Facebook operated in such a way that requires people to report photographs and other material before they are deleted. I know for certain someone reported my own images before they were removed. When we point out that our breastfeeding images are censored before sexualized images for example this is true. I think most of us are aware though that this has less to do with Facebook actually seeking out breastfeeding images and more to do with the public's discomfort with breastfeeding. Regardless of whether it's an accident or not and whether or not the reinstate our accounts... the fact remains that the way Facebook operates is flawed, and it is damaging women's systems of support. Just the fact that someone can report something anonymously means that the perpetrator faces no consequences at all for their actions. So why don't we go somewhere else to hold support groups for women? Because we shouldn't have to. As Jessica of The Leaky Boob states in her article The Problem Continues: "Having an active presence on Facebook does something else: normalize breastfeeding. Shunning breastfeeding moms to “discreet” (read: obscure) corners of the internet does nothing to encourage accepting breastfeeding as a normal and beneficial piece of family life." Certainly it's tempting to leave. It's not nice to feel unwanted anywhere, and it's not nice to feel like you're tempting fate every time you post something as risque as feeding an infant. However this problem is more than a "lactivist" issue. The issue is about how we as a society feel about our own bodies. I'm sure we're all used to seeing underwear ads at the bus stop, perfume ads involving women in lingerie... yet the ad that was censored recently from the Calgary Transit lines was an image of a newborn baby. This giant sculpture is by Ron Mueck. It was being shown at the Glenbow Museum of Calgary, but the advertisements were declined for use in public transit areas- because it might be "too much" for some people. However, as someone so aply put it on my Facebook page: "We've all been there." I feel that beyond the obvious concerns about so-called nudity in breastfeeding or childbirth, the abhorrent tendancy to get breastfeeding mixed up with sex... I think people are also repelled by the vulnerability of the images, the lack of airbrushing and "beauty" as we're used to seeing it, as well as the very human quality. I think people are afraid of their own humanity.
Breastfeeding images, pregnancy photos, childbirth and newborn babies all serve to remind us that we're human. These women also come in all shapes and sizes, they don't fit the beauty standard we're used to seeing. I think if anything we need to see more images of normal women's breasts, for example, to remind ourselves what women look like without plastic surgery and airbrushing. I think it's important to remember who we are- vulnerable, miraculous and highly imperfect, in order to completely value ourselves. My first interaction with Jessica of the Leaky Boob was when I submitted a blog for her breastfeeding carnival. I was at a wedding, using a friend's laptop to communicate with her. It was harried and confusing, yet she was incredibly forgiving, warm, funny and sweet. She very gently steered me towards a more personal article than the one I was planning on submitting, which resulted in one of my better pieces of writing. I continued keeping in touch with her and found her so encouraging of my artwork. She seems to share my desire to represent all women, regardless of background, parenting approach and shortcomings. In many ways she is my inspiration. I consider her a better person than I am. She is more patient and forgiving, and more likely to be amused than angry. I strive to treat people the way she does.
Then Sunday morning she awoke to discover that her Facebook Page: The Leaky Boob, had been removed. She was given the statement that her page violated Facebook's terms of use, a vague and incomplete statement at best. She was told: "Your Page 'The Leaky B@@b' has been removed for violating our Terms of Use. A Facebook Page is a distinct presence used solely for business or promotional purposes. Among other things, Pages that are hateful, threatening, or obscene are not allowed. We also take down Pages that attack an individual or group, or that are set up by an unauthorized individual. If your Page was removed for any of the above reasons, it will not be reinstated. Continued misuse of Facebook's features could result in the permanent loss of your account." I personally had spent a lot of time on The Leaky Boob fansite. I was just in the process of giving advice to a new mother who feared she was not producing enough milk when it was deleted. Now I have no memory of the mother's name, no idea how to get in touch with her and tell her not to worry... if her baby is gaining weight she's probably fine. This to me is a violation of OUR rights, that such a useful and decent page could be deleted without warning. I have never known The Leaky Boob to be anything but a place of gentleness, solidarity, good humour and helpful advice. Jessica was never one to judge another person, so how DARE she be judged in this way? Obscene? Give me a break. Since I wrote this article the Leaky Boob was re-instated as a Facebook page, then about an hour ago it was removed again, as well as the Bring Back the Leaky Boob page that rallied so much support. Once again we need to rally together, notify news agencies if you can, get all the support you can, and once again we need to Bring Back the Leaky Boob- Again. Please join. I feel this is an important issue for all mothers regardless of parenting habits. We need to make sure breastfeeding advice is accessable and not discriminated against in this manner. This is my latest Madonna and Child portrait, a beautiful mother and baby that I met thanks to Elita of Blactating Blog. I want to give a big thanks to Stephanie for modelling, and Elita for putting the call out for more African American models. I so appreciate it.
So, as you probably know... my account was deleted from Facebook after about ten minutes of posting a breastfeeding photo. (It was re-instated the evening of October 1st.) September 30th at about 8:30 am I posted a status photo of myself breastfeeding my daughter, in solidarity with Emma Kwasnica who had had her entire profile deleted after posting similar photos. At about 8:45 I was prompted to log in while commenting on my status photo, I attempted to log in, but was unable to. It said that my account had been disabled for posting content that violated facebook regulations. So what are the regulations they speak of? In the Chicago Tribune company spokesperson Barry Schnitt stated: "We've made a visible areola the determining factor. It is a common standard." ![]() Yet, if you look at a close up of the photo in question you will notice that there is no visable areola. So what exactly is their reason for photo deletion? Do you think I would have been removed if I were wearing a bathing suit which was showing the same amount of skin? Another interesting aspect was the fact this was actually my FIRST snapshot posted which was not art related. All the other posts, including the photograph by Catherine Opie, were art related. The paintings which got removed back in April were all my own, and a facebook spokesperson told reporter Antonia Zerbisias of the Toronto Star that it had been a "mistake," that my paintings had been "accidentally removed." If that were the case why was my entire account deleted within ten minutes of posting a breastfeeding photo, which, by their own standards, contained nothing obscene? ![]() Here is another close-up. Once again no visable areola. What is the common denominator in these images? You've got it- they are all breastfeeding images. It seems that Facebook, a massive powerful corporation, has determined that breastfeeding is obscene, and that children need to be protected from it. As a Canadian I know that my breastfeeding rights are protected under the Charter of Rights. Breastfeeding is protected in most of the United States as well. Why then are we letting a for profit corperation determine our rights for us? Why are we letting a corporation decide what we can and cannot see? I think this problem is not only breastfeeding related. I also question the areola rule. Why is it that visable areola is obscene? Does context have nothing to do with the rule? It seems a shame to say that women's nipples are "dirty" or obscene, when that's what we put into an innocent baby's mouth. What about them can possibly be obscene in that context? Below is breastfeeding featured in a Mr. Rogers clip. I guess no one thought to protect the children from the obscene areolas in this one. My entire account was deleted from facebook this morning. If you know my history at all, you know that I've had photos removed numerous times from facebook, because of perceived indecency. My photos thus far were all art related, because I feel inspired by motherhood, nursing, and the human figure. I love breastfeeding art; I think it's a wonderful female perspective on figurative art, and I continued posting it despite repeated warnings. You might also remember that I was featured by a few different media sources concerning these early removals of my paintings. Here is my interview with Sheila Coles on CBC, "The Story from Here", (just go to "listen, part two.) Here is also the article written in the Toronto Star on the subject of my facebook deletions. This morning I heard more details on the fact that fellow breastfeeding advocate Emma Kwasnica had her account deleted, and I felt so angry. I also felt ashamed- because, although I have posted many breastfeeding paintings, and although I am a huge advocate for breastfeeding, I had never had the courage to post a photo of myself breastfeeding. I've always been a little shy about my own body. This is a fact that may surprise you, since I've painted a few nude self portraits, and since I used to pose for life drawing classes, but I never felt very brave about posting breastfeeding photos of myself. This morning I felt ashamed. I looked at Emma's photo, and remembered ALL her smiling, gorgeous photos, remembered her humour and thoughtful advice... and I thought I have been SUCH a chicken. I felt ashamed for never posting a breastfeeding photo of myself. ![]() SO, I posted this photo as my profile picture. I was just in the process of discussing it with some friends when I was asked to re-log in. I tried to and failed. My account was deleted, and with it many contacts and friends that I am now trying to get back in touch with. It happened so fast I couldn't believe it. I feel more upset than I thought I would. I feel like I've lost a limb. I've lost a lot of people with my facebook account, many people I knew from childhood and have NO idea how to get back in touch with. So friends- my first request (if you haven't already,) please get in touch with me through this webpage. Thanks to talented artist Amy Swagman there is a group on Facebook to get my account re-instated. Please join this group, "Bring Kate Hansen Back." If you're familiar with art on facebook you might notice that there are many beautiful nude artworks by many many artists. Why are breastfeeding portraits being targeted for removal? I think there is some sexism involved in these removals. I believe that the female perspective is being denied and marginalized by these actions. The breastfeeding mother is a very specifically female perspective on the breast, since it doesn't involve men at all. Perhaps some hatered of breastfeeding women stems from the fact that (some) men feel visually excluded from the nursing dyad; the woman in question is not exposing her breasts for male pleasure, in fact she seems oblivious to the male gaze. ![]() Another photo I uploaded which led to my recent deletion was this one. It's a piece by lesbian artist Catherine Opie, titled "Self Portrait/Nursing." This photograph was almost immediately removed from my fansite and I received the usual letter from Facebook, saying it was "Hateful, Threatening and/or Obscene." In a recent article by popular the popular Blacktating blog, Elita stated that the same photo was removed when a friend of hers posted it on her page. I venture to guess that more than nudity prompted this removal. This woman, a lesbian mother and not petite, is not the typical nude which facebook is willing to promote. She falls outside of the heterosexual male dominated paradigm that we're accustomed to seeing, and facebook is intolerant of that. Finally I want to thank all the friends who have joined in the campaign against my removal. Amy Swagman has been incredibly helpful to me by creating and managing the group I mentioned. Krista Cornish Scott has been phoning me, talking to me and supporting me, so many mothers and women on twitter have expressed their outrage and support. My mother Molly Barber has been incredibly helpful, even looking after my kids today while I write this. I feel so loved and supported by all of you, and I'm incredibly grateful for that. I just got in from an airplane trip with my one and a half year old and my three year old. Although it wasn't a long flight, I was really dreading it because I was flying by myself... with two kids. Anyone who has kids understands what amount of gear they come with, as much as you might try to pack light! Here are some essentials which I found extremely useful on our journey.
10. Hoodies- Airplanes can be cold, hoodies are warm and comfortable. You can sleep in them with no discomfort. 9. Small toy airplane- This came in quite useful for explaining what was going on: i.e. the airplane is taking off, the airplane is in some turbulence, the airpane is landing. 8. Baby Wipes- I prefer to use washcloths at home, but baby wipes proved to be indispensable on the airplane, partly to clean the sticky fingers due to... 7. Snacks- This might be fairly obvious, but I was very thankful to have lunch packed, as well as a container of fresh strawberries. It helps pass the time, and most airlines don't serve lunch anymore. 6. Picture books- my favourites are In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendeck, A Glorious Day, by Amy Schwartz, and On a Wintry Morning by Dori Chaconas. 5. A Broad Repertoire of Songs- This may annoy other passengers on board, but songs are an excellent way of boosting morale and keeping kids occupied. 4. Hand puppets- literally. If you have a pen, even a ball point pen, you can draw a simple face onto your closed fist. Just make the closed part between your first finger and your thumb into the mouth, and draw two eyes above it. This puppet can be combined with the previously mentioned repertoire of songs, for maximum annoyance for surrounding passengers, and maximum enjoyment by your children. 3. Maya Sling- This one is very close to the top 10 most useful item for travelling with a baby. I found my sling indispensable. I used it to carry my daughter and keep my hands free for bags and to hold my son's hand. It can also double as a blanket for a tired child, and a nursing cover, if you feel you need one. In a pinch you could even rig it as an extra carry on bag. 2. Lots of Liquids- Unfortunately the new security regulations make it very difficult to provide enough liquid for your children. You cannot bring water or juice onto the plane, but instead need to rely on the airline staff to provide it for you. This means you need to make yourself into a royal pain by demanding larger portions of water, insisting on refills and otherwise annoying the staff as well as other passengers. Of course for younger children there is another source of liquid... which leads to.... 1. Two Functioning Breasts- The top most important item for travel with two young children is a pair of functioning breasts. It's common knowledge that the best way to combat the effects of the change in pressure from landing and taking off is by sucking on something. What could be more handy or more versatile than breastfeeding? If you're not breastfeeding you might want to bring a teething toy, a bottle, or some kind of suck-able food item for older kids. If you happen to be seated beside Barbara Walters just make sure to paste a warm smile on your face, and an armory of breastfeeding slogans on your lips. You have just as much right to breastfeed as your neighbour has to eat in the seat next to you. More in fact, since if you were to cease it might result in a screaming nightmare for every passenger on the flight. It might do well to remind people that on flight breastfeeding is in their own best interests for this reason. This blog entry was written for inclusion in The Leaky Boob World Breastfeeding Week 2010 blog carnival: "Perspectives: Breastfeeding from Every Angle" My first experience of breastfeeding was when I first nursed my son in the hospital after my caesarean. His tiny head, swollen and mishapen after spending two days wedged against my cervix, his tiny hands almost like an old person's hands after living underwater for so long, his face was wise as only newborns and the elderly are. It was a moment of wonder, and pain, and joy. I was aching after surgery. I nursed him in the football hold, his body on one side to avoid hurting my incision. The suction caused my uterus to contract, both a painful and a wonderful feeling of release, emotional and physical. I had spent a few years in a state of yearning for that moment. I had suffered several miscarriages and a molar pregnancy, I had felt for so long as though my body were the enemy, as though my body could betray me at any moment. The moment I nursed my son everything changed; suddenly my body was my friend, my breasts were competent and friendly, my baby was beautiful. As a small breasted women I've also always felt somewhat sub-par, a little less than a real woman. The moment my new baby latched on all those feelings of inadequacy disappeared too. I felt about as womanly as I could possibly feel, overflowing with joy and bliss and sensuality in the purest sense.
It was that moment that I decided to start The Madonna and Child Project I hadn't fully formulated my concept at that point, but I wanted to express the joy and awe I felt as a new mother, and I could think of no better form than the classical Madonna and Child theme. As an artist and a mother I've had to struggle to balance both worlds. There were times when I actually continued to breastfeed my child as I completed my projects- a true case of art imitating life! Sometimes I felt frustrated and harried as every mother does when trying to balance work and life, and sometimes I've felt guilty for wanting to do art when my children need me more. Most of the time I find my work and my children are symbiotic to each other- they relate so closely to each other that I have trouble separating the two. My experiences as a mother inform my artwork, and I think my artwork contributes to my experiences as a mother in turn. Not every moment was magical of course. I had days in which my breasts were aching and engorged and every item of clothing I owned was stained with breastmilk. My sheets were soaked at night, and I struggled with feelings of irritation or disgust at my own wonderfully productive body. Then there were other moments in which I would feel the most overwhelming love while nursing. I remember specifically nursing my daughter in bed while she was only a few days old... thinking... no FEELING with my whole body "I love you!" People explain that rush as a release of oxytocin and other hormones, but I prefer to believe that it's something more than that. It felt almost like I was experiencing something transcedent, something of the divine- God if you will. I think there is just a touch of the divine involved in the best parts of motherhood. For some that involves bathing a child, looking into their eyes and hearing their laughter. For me that also involved nursing, and that is what I have attempted to express through my art. This story is so absurd I almost laughed when I first read about in the New York Times. Yesterday Chiara Pozzi Perteghella, a pharmacist from Bassano del Grappa in Italy, was not allowed to breastfeed her 3 month old baby while taking an exam. The exam was long- 5 hours in total, and they refused to make any special allowances for her to nurse her baby during that time. They claimed that it would disrupt other students, yet they wouldn't provide her a separate room. They said she could leave to breastfeed the baby and come back, but they would not make up the time she might loose during these breaks. So that sounds bad, but get this- the exam was for certification as a BREASTFEEDING advisor! Chiara is a pharmacist and a mother of three children. Her pharmacy was already a part of the Farmacia Amica Allattamento Materno (Breastfeeding-Friendly Pharmacies - Code Complient Pharmacy,) but she wanted to increase her skills by becoming a lactatian consultant through the IBLCE. The IBLCE- International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners is the world recognised authority for certifiying practitioners in lactation and breastfeeding care. After the birth of her son in April she informed the instructor that she would need to take the exam with her son, because he would be too young to stay with someone at that point. He was only three months old by the date of the exam, and Chiara is a follower of what she calls the "maternage approach," the Italian term for attachment parenting. She was under the impression that the arrangement was fine with them until May 18th, just two months before the exam, she was informed that only examiners and examinees may go into the room. Why? Perhaps they thought the baby might whisper her all the answers? The reason they gave was that the baby would be too distracting to the other examinees. I'm trying to imagine who might be more qualified as a breastfeeding advisor than a breastfeeding woman...? Given their evident lack of support to breastfeeding mothers completing this course I can imagine that a room full of certified breastfeeding advisors would be... men? Childless women? Who would you rather take breastfeeding advice from? Ironically the exam involved a question on the practice of "External Pregnancy," which means the mother wears the baby for several hours a day in a wrap or sling, breastfeeds frequently as needed, and even takes the baby to work with her. If the IBLCE would not make any special allowances for breastfeeding mothers, how can they expect employers to? Their new policy is about involving mother in society, making it possible to breastfeed anywhere, integrating mothers and babies instead of excluding them. In fact this year's IBLCE meeting in Chiara's home town was titled: "Women and their breastfeeding choices: cultural changes and practical support systems." All very ironic considering Chiara's treatment during one of their exams. Chiara herself said:
"I regret to say that I will not sit the exam, because I don’t think such discrimination and inconsistency should be tolerated and because I don’t like to be qualified as a breastfeeding expert by people who showed they know nothing about it." The following art piece by artist Amy Jenkins was censored from a New York art gallery in May 2004. "The Audrey Samsara" Amy Jenkins, 2004 I was looking up "breastfeeding Artwork" online one evening when I found this photograph. I looked up her website right away, hoping to find out more about the "Audrey Samsara," which is the title of the artwork. The actual piece is a video of her baby Audrey nursing, falling asleep, waking to breastfeed and fall asleep again. It's a meditative and soothing loop, much like the Buddhist cycle of life and death for which it was named. I also noticed from the website that this artwork had been censored from an exhibition in New York, and I decided to contact the artist. I spoke to Amy Jenkins on the subject and she told me she was surprised by the reaction to her artwork. The artist and mother had been asked to do a piece for designer Salvatore Ferragamo to display in their 5th Avenue art gallery. She was asked to use an item from the store as inspiration, and was granted full artistic license. Amy fell in love with a little pair of red shoes named "The Audrey," and felt that it was meant to be, since her own eighteen month old baby girl was also named Audrey. Amy earned her MFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, but also spent some time in Florance Italy, where she completed a certificate in Fine Arts. She felt a kind of affinity for the italian background of the famous shoe designer, and agreed to create a piece for the art gallery upstairs. Her work is mostly photography and video installation; meditative and timeless loops involving themes of family, childbearing, relationships and discord. They are often both serene and disturbing; surreal yet familiar. ![]() The video she created for them was a video of her daughter wearing the red shoes, nursed by a dark figure, so that the baby appears almost to float in mid air. Amy told me that this peice was especially meaningful to her; she called it a "tender record" of her breastfeeding experience, and was shocked by the reaction it incurred. The image evokes the timeless archetype of the Madonna and Child in a modern context. It also reflects the classical religious theme of the "Pieta," (a depiction of the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Christ.) La Pieta- Michaelangelo, 1499 A few hours before the scheduled opening of the show in May 2004, Amy was informed that her work had been removed. An executive found the artwork to be "distasteful" and refused to exhibit it as planned. Amy and her family bravely attended the gallery opening, hoping to speak to someone and resolve the issue, but no one would speak to her about it. They would not explain why it was considered "distasteful," and nothing was done by way of apology. Amy herself wonders if it has something to do with the fashion aesthetic of the designer store- the fact that the breasts depicted in her work were functional rather than visual. She wonders if people are so used to seeing breasts used for marketing purposes and that the sight of breastfeeding makes people uneasy. I personally also wonder if we as a society are unused to seeing the female nude from a female perspective. Breastfeeding is very much a feminine experience of the female body; it doesn't involve men or sex, and can be very personal, subjective and intimate. I would venture to guess that we as a society are unused to seeing the female nude from a female point of view; with a female gaze, if you will. The female nude as the subject rather than an object is unfamiliar to us visually, and invokes discomfort in the viewer. Perhaps the public, men and women alike, are used to seeing the female breast as an object of desire, and the breast from the inward, personal perspective of the woman doing the breastfeeding is unusual to us. Whatever the reason the reaction was the same. The artist was excluded, her point of view was rejected. The Audrey Samsara, a beautiful timeless piece, was denied to the public. As Amy Jenkins said- the flatscreen monitor which was meant to show her work was like "a black hole" in the gallery during the opening. She went on to have several articles published on her story, she had plenty of public support and found many other suitable venues to share The Audrey Samsara. I think ultimately it shows that her work is effective. It obviously created a reaction and made people think and talk about an issue that deserves attention. What started as a simple, beautiful moment between mother and daughter became something which shocked and also moved and inspired people. What more can we ask from an artist than that? |
A blog on art, roller derby and life.
Kate HansenI'm an artist and mother of two in Courtenay, BC. I've completed a project called the "Madonna and Child Project," and I'm now working on a series of roller derby inspired drawings. In my spare time I play roller derby with the Brick House Betties. Archives
November 2012
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