I first saw it on a FB Breastfeeding support group I'm a fan of (I believe it was The Leaky B@@b)
Had posted a video of a 70s episode of Sesame Street Featuring The Character Buffy Sainte Marie, a Popular Singer/Songwriter who was featured on the Show for many years, Breastfeeding her son Cody.
NOW, if you had told me two years ago ... that someone was BREASTFEEDING ON SESAME STREET!?! I honestly DON'T know what I would have thought (The Image that probably would have come to mind is somewhat similar to 'GirlsGoneWild' featuring the residents of Sesame Street staring and panting)
*pantpantpant*
I believe that to be a very Typical reaction of North American Culture, considering almost EVERYONE with the exception of Direct relatives of Breast-fed babies sees breasts as sexual objects as opposed to the best source of nutrition available to babies, as nature intended.
I am a much more mature person that I was 2 years ago ... (Obviously)
and, being a breastfeeding mother, I Believe naturalizing our culture to Breastfeeding and the god-given intention of Breasts is VITAL. I FELL IN LOVE with this video, It is SOOO tasteful and was very Reminiscent of when Big T first saw me breast feeding. Big bird's reaction and questions seem a very Typical reaction of a child ...and is almost a mirror image of our Dialouge.
Here it is; 1977 - Buffy Nurses Cody (Thanks for Sharing NantoVision1 )
Then, sometime in the 80's (Judging by her hair) we have Maria Nursing Gabriella
(VERY similar to the Big Bird / Cody / Buffy Clip)
For Whatever reason, there was never one filmed in the 90's or since.
The clips were never pulled from TV and there were no complaints.
I would LOVE to see a breastfeeding clip on modern Children's shows... such as sesame street. It could not possiby do any harm, as Children don't understand sex... They Don't need to. I think if Nursing / Breastfeeding was portrayed in the Media (Sesame Street even ;) ) if Children were to be exposed to breastfeeding, it would be a step in the right direction for naturalizing our culture to breastfeeding. I think it's pretty much too late for our generation, but we can consider ourselves pioneers, Nursing Mothers should not be confined to Dirty washrooms (or clean ones for that matter) and Lonely bedrooms to keep our children happy or healthy.
I am very passionate about this subject (If you couldn't tell from the wall-of-text above) and am trying to take action (Despite my own personal phobia of public 'exposure' ) as much as possible so that in the future, Breastfeeding mothers need not feel the terror I currently experience when I feed my Child.
There is a petition on Bringing breastfeeding back to Sesame Street,
HERE in which (SO FAR) 80% of people have voted 'YES' ...
Please go and Place your vote ... I'm certain that though this petitaion has no legal standing,
it will give sesame street producers an idea ... an Idea that I would LOVE to see come to fruition.
Peace, Love and Happy Nursing,
