not neccessary to kick her off the damn plane. I mean she was in the second to last row, window seat, next to her husband. leave her alone.
although agreeing to use a small blanket to cover up is not too much to ask. (but not worthy of being booted) I think its common courtesy to at least be discreet about it.
But as I stated in an earlier post could it possibly be the fault of both sides? We are only hearing one side of the story. I would venture to guess that the flight attendant was displaying their typical arrogance (wanted to add both male and female flight attendants are included in this description) but without hearing his/her side of the story we are not sure what exactly occured and I would be basing my conclusions on a stereotype.
Flight Attendant:"Ma'am would you mind placing this towel over your chest while you breast feed?"
Passenger: "No"
(Flight Attendant walks away momentarily)
Flight Attendant: "Ma'am you have to leave the plane now"
Passenger: "O.K."
End Scene
I stand corrected, sort of. It looks as though my dialogue wasn't so far fetched. Three cheers for the mom, and a couple of tasers for the stewardess (she doesn't deserve the designation of Flight Attendant!)
"The leads are weak!"
"The leads are weak? Fuckin' leads are weak? You're Weak! I've Been in this business 15 years"
The thing that is ridiculous is if a child is breastfeeding, you can't SEE much of the breast, as it is covered up by the kid's head. I can tell you this from experience. Also, I can tell you that a 22 month old child will NOT take kindly to having a blanket dumped over its head simply because it is EATING. A 22 month old probably has a few words including NO! If you have a kid at your breast, and the shirt above the kid's head, really, nothing basically is visible, because a kid that age is going to cover up most of your mid section as well as the breast. One's primary goal in traveling with a 22 month old is keeping it HAPPY and FED, otherwise its a pain for EVERYONE on the plane. Would they have rather sat with a screaming miserable baby the whole flight?
That's exactly what I was thinking about Jane when I was reading some comments about common courtesy and accepting the blanket.
I breastfed my last son for 2 years and believe me the last thing he wanted thrown on his head was a blanket! :S
A 22 month old, you guys realize that this child was almost 2 years old, a 2 year old's head is pretty big, there is no way half of her boob was out, this was the flight attendant being a total bitch and it was outrageous to be thrown out of the plane for breastfeeding and had it been me oh man! I would have totally made a scene! lol
"Without the album covers, where do you clean your pot?" - EV
The child is almost two years old, the parents knew they were taking a flight of less than 1 hr.1/2 could she not have prepared a bottle of breast milk, juice or water? No! there is nothing wrong with breast feeding. At 22 months, however, parents do have some control and options.
What puzzles me is why she did this at the boarding stage of the flight? The mother's location would not have prevented her from being exposed to passengers looking for their seats or placing their carryon bags. Again, why pick the boarding stage when a child is likely to be distracted by the activity on the plane or outside of the window?
If her "legal right" outweighed her indiscretion, why didn't she feed the child in the terminal while waiting for the flight? Why did she feel the need to wait until they were on the plane to immediately start breast feeding?
with breast feeding...she shouldn't have to worry about indescretion....do it where ever the hell she pleases to do it. If people are in any way bothered by this they need to look at themselves. Like maybe don't go in public if such a vile thing in any way offends or bothers you.
lo and behold... who was offended here? not a guy who couldn't stop staring at her tit... the female flight attendant. another notch in my theory that women are doing far more to hold each other down than men are.
This just seems to be such an american thing (and please.. I'm not starting a 'hate america and americans' debate). They still seem to have such puritanical attitudes to the naked body (just as a reminder.. the furor Janet Jackson caused when her boob was 'exposed', though still with the nipple covered!). In Europe, it is quite common for women to breastfeed in public, without anyone batting an eyelid. There is no way a nursing mother would 'expose' herself. Nursing is always a discreet affair....
This just seems to be such an american thing (and please.. I'm not starting a 'hate america and americans' debate). They still seem to have such puritanical attitudes to the naked body (just as a reminder.. the furor Janet Jackson caused when her boob was 'exposed', though still with the nipple covered!). In Europe, it is quite common for women to breastfeed in public, without anyone batting an eyelid. There is no way a nursing mother would 'expose' herself. Nursing is always a discreet affair....
a large percentage of Americans see through the hypocracy on nudity. The rest...well they voted for Bush. (-:
Mothering Magazine announces winner of International Breastfeeding Icon Design Contest
Santa Fe, New Mexico - Today Mothering magazine announced the winner of the International Breastfeeding Icon Design Contest. Matt Daigle, a graphic designer, stay-at-home father and self-declared Mr. Mom sent in the top icon.
The purpose of an international symbol for breastfeeding is to increase public awareness of breastfeeding, to provide an alternative to the use of the baby bottle to designate baby friendly areas in public, and to mark breastfeeding-friendly facilities.
The contest was inspired by the image of a baby bottle on a sign indicating the location of the parents' lounge in an airport. Why not develop an icon to denote that a place is breastfeeding-friendly? Symbols for no smoking, for handicapped parking and for the women's restroom are widely recognized. There is currently no internationally recognized icon for breastfeeding-friendly areas in public places. Ideally, the space would be private, quiet, with a comfortable chair and an electrical outlet for pumping
So Mothering put out a call and received an overwhelming response—more than 500 entries from both the design and breastfeeding communities. More than 120,000 votes poured in from individuals, lactation organizations, and natural family living advocates from across the globe.
The winning image will be made available worldwide (copyright-free, as a public domain image) with recommendations that it be used in workplaces, airports, malls, restaurants, conference centers, libraries, parks, sporting and entertainment arenas or any public place. Other suggested uses include marketing material by breastfeeding product manufacturers to educate new breastfeeding moms to look for the symbol.
Breastfeeding is known to have a wide range of health benefits for both baby and its mother. In order for mothers to continue to breastfeed as long as recommended and desirable, they must have comfortable, private areas in public places. There is growing acceptance of public breastfeeding but mothers still need a reliable place to feed their babies without public scrutiny.
In Search of an Icon: Breastfeeding Symbol Contest
Mothering's Breastfeeding Symbol Contest
Has a Winner
The purpose of an international symbol for breastfeeding is to increase public awareness of breastfeeding, to provide an alternative to the use of a baby bottle image to designate baby friendly areas in public, and to mark breastfeeding friendly facilities.
Of course, breastfeeding does not require a special place and is appropriate—as the Canadian government's slogan says—"anytime, anywhere." The purpose of the symbol is not to segregate breastfeeding, but to help integrate it into society by better accommodating it in public.
For example, sometimes there are no chairs in public, sometimes nowhere to change the baby, or for the mother separated from her baby, nowhere to plug in an electric breast pump. Mothers welcome quiet, private places in public where they can collect themselves and their children. The symbol could designate these kinds of places.
In addition, businesses could use this symbol to designate a lactation room, required now by law in California. Restaurants could use the image to let moms know, "Breastfeeding welcome here." We've already heard from a new airport and a university interested in using the symbol. When you see this new symbol in use, please let us know, and if possible, send us a photo.
The winning image was designed by Matt Daigle of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Matt is a stay-at-home dad, freelance graphic designer, and cartoonist. Matt and his wife Kay are the parents of one-year-old son Hayden.
The breastfeeding symbol is available copyright free. Matt has signed it over to the Public Domain. You can download a PDF of the International Breastfeeding Symbol here.
Mothering's Interview with Matt:
Mothering magazine (MM): Did your wife breastfeed?
Matt Daigle (MD): Yes she did.
MM: Any breastfeeding-in-public experiences you'd like to share? MD: The most awkward experience we had breastfeeding in public was on a four-hour flight to visit my family. The airline had my wife and I in separate seats (with my wife in a middle seat), even though we had booked our tickets months in advance. My wife and I pleaded with the airline explaining to them that it would be very difficult for my wife to be discreet and breastfeed our son if she was seated between two passengers. The airline would not budge. So when we boarded the plane a wonderful man from Minnesota gave up his seat (that he paid extra for just to sit by a co-worker) so that I could be with my wife and she could breastfeed Hayden more discreetly. The plane was very hot so my wife could not cover Hayden with a blanket and feed him—so I basically had to hold up the blanket so they could have air. My wife told me Hayden was making these loud sucking sounds and was saying "Mmmmmmm" as in "Yum, Mom" the whole feed—it was hilarious.
MM: Why did you enter this contest? MD: My friend who subscribes to Mothering magazine forwarded the contest information to me. She knew that one of my passions is logo design and she thought I would do a great job in creating something that would benefit breastfeeding mothers.
MM: What inspired your design for the breastfeeding symbol? MD: My wife and son inspired me.
MM: What elements/aspects of breastfeeding did you hope to convey? MD: I wanted the icon to accurately convey a child nursing on his mother's breast rather than being held by a mother or parent. I wanted the image to be feminine. I wanted to give the impression of breast on the icon (the space between the baby's arm and his/her chin), without having to show a breast in its entirety. While I feel that breastfeeding and breasts are natural, I didn't want to alienate those people who may have a more conservative view about exposing breasts, since this image could be released into the public domain.
MM: What do you hope your symbol conveys? MD: I wanted the symbol to communicate to the public quickly, at a glance. I knew that it might be reduced to a small size and I didn't want the integrity of the design to be compromised by the small scale. Therefore, I designed an icon that could be recognized from a distance. I also wanted the design to be reversible in color—allowing the child to be blue and the mother white or vice versa—in order to match the other international icons for baggage claim, bathrooms, telephone, information desk and so on. I didn't want the symbol to be a departure from these other international symbols, lest it confuse the public into thinking that it was something other than a public service icon.
MM: How do you hope the symbol will be used? MD: I hope this symbol is used in all public places to clearly communicate to the public that breastfeeding is natural and healthy and that as a society we support it. I hope that having a symbol will encourage more entities to establish breastfeeding-friendly areas for families to use. Finally, I hope that this symbol will encourage people to make breastfeeding their first choice in nourishing their children.
Some of those places I would like to see the symbol used are in airports, bus and subway stations, malls, rest areas, hospital waiting rooms, fitness centers, grocery stores, parks, amusement parks, and so on—anywhere many people gather for periods of time.
MM: Where would you put the symbol? MD: I would put the icon anyplace where other international symbols are displayed, but especially in directories at the above places, in brochures, promotional materials, travel packages, freeway information signs, and so on.
I would also like airplanes to offer both a wheelchair accessible/breastfeeding seat. When the seat is not being used by people in wheelchairs, then it could be used by breastfeeding mothers. The breastfeeding symbol on airline websites and ticketing information would indicate to families that such a seat was available.
MM: Anything else you'd like to tell us about your design? MD: As a profoundly deaf individual, I know how important it is to communicate through visual means. This is why I wanted my design to communicate clearly and quickly that breastfeeding facilities are offered or nearby. I also know, first hand, how frustrating it is to be in a public place and have a hungry baby and not have a clue if breastfeeding facilities are nearby or even offered at all. How much easier it would be to walk up to an information desk, point to the breastfeeding icon, and be directed to the facilities.
MM: Any words of wisdom for the world regarding breastfeeding? MD: Breastfeeding is natural and healthy and women should never feel embarrassed or awkward for feeding their children in public.
The winning image was chosen from over 500 entries, and 12 semi-finalists. The criteria for selecting the final image included public voting, votes of the major breastfeeding organizations, as well as design and reproduction standards. In addition to the 12 Semi-Finalists, the symbol committee selected The Most Artistic and the Ones that Make us Smile.
JA: Why do I get the Ticketmaster question?
EV: It's your band.
~Q Magazine
"Kisses for the glow...kisses for the lease." - BDRII
Comments
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
2 tasers and a weeks pay..........
hehehehehe.............
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
not neccessary to kick her off the damn plane. I mean she was in the second to last row, window seat, next to her husband. leave her alone.
although agreeing to use a small blanket to cover up is not too much to ask. (but not worthy of being booted) I think its common courtesy to at least be discreet about it.
I stand corrected, sort of. It looks as though my dialogue wasn't so far fetched. Three cheers for the mom, and a couple of tasers for the stewardess (she doesn't deserve the designation of Flight Attendant!)
"The leads are weak? Fuckin' leads are weak? You're Weak! I've Been in this business 15 years"
"What's your name?"
"FUCK YOU! THAT"S MY NAME!"
That's exactly what I was thinking about Jane when I was reading some comments about common courtesy and accepting the blanket.
I breastfed my last son for 2 years and believe me the last thing he wanted thrown on his head was a blanket! :S
A 22 month old, you guys realize that this child was almost 2 years old, a 2 year old's head is pretty big, there is no way half of her boob was out, this was the flight attendant being a total bitch and it was outrageous to be thrown out of the plane for breastfeeding and had it been me oh man! I would have totally made a scene! lol
with breast feeding...she shouldn't have to worry about indescretion....do it where ever the hell she pleases to do it. If people are in any way bothered by this they need to look at themselves. Like maybe don't go in public if such a vile thing in any way offends or bothers you.
lo and behold... who was offended here? not a guy who couldn't stop staring at her tit... the female flight attendant. another notch in my theory that women are doing far more to hold each other down than men are.
a large percentage of Americans see through the hypocracy on nudity. The rest...well they voted for Bush. (-:
A friend, whom I hadn't seen or spoke to in 17 years, had entered a breastfeeding logo contest and I was shocked to find out who he was!
We went to college together and I remember him as a super sweet and nice guy!
I just got in touch with him to congratulate him on winning the international logo and to my surprise, he also remembered me - a big ass hair!
Here's the Press Release from Mothering Magazine :
http://www.mothering.com/newsletter/pressrelease-nov06.html
Mothering Magazine announces winner of International Breastfeeding Icon Design Contest
Santa Fe, New Mexico - Today Mothering magazine announced the winner of the International Breastfeeding Icon Design Contest. Matt Daigle, a graphic designer, stay-at-home father and self-declared Mr. Mom sent in the top icon.
The purpose of an international symbol for breastfeeding is to increase public awareness of breastfeeding, to provide an alternative to the use of the baby bottle to designate baby friendly areas in public, and to mark breastfeeding-friendly facilities.
The contest was inspired by the image of a baby bottle on a sign indicating the location of the parents' lounge in an airport. Why not develop an icon to denote that a place is breastfeeding-friendly? Symbols for no smoking, for handicapped parking and for the women's restroom are widely recognized. There is currently no internationally recognized icon for breastfeeding-friendly areas in public places. Ideally, the space would be private, quiet, with a comfortable chair and an electrical outlet for pumping
So Mothering put out a call and received an overwhelming response—more than 500 entries from both the design and breastfeeding communities. More than 120,000 votes poured in from individuals, lactation organizations, and natural family living advocates from across the globe.
The winning image will be made available worldwide (copyright-free, as a public domain image) with recommendations that it be used in workplaces, airports, malls, restaurants, conference centers, libraries, parks, sporting and entertainment arenas or any public place. Other suggested uses include marketing material by breastfeeding product manufacturers to educate new breastfeeding moms to look for the symbol.
Breastfeeding is known to have a wide range of health benefits for both baby and its mother. In order for mothers to continue to breastfeed as long as recommended and desirable, they must have comfortable, private areas in public places. There is growing acceptance of public breastfeeding but mothers still need a reliable place to feed their babies without public scrutiny.
For details regarding the contest, the winner, and to download a PDF of the icon, visit http://www.mothering.com/sections/action_alerts/iconcontest/icon-winner.html.
From that link:
In Search of an Icon: Breastfeeding Symbol Contest
Mothering's Breastfeeding Symbol Contest
Has a Winner
The purpose of an international symbol for breastfeeding is to increase public awareness of breastfeeding, to provide an alternative to the use of a baby bottle image to designate baby friendly areas in public, and to mark breastfeeding friendly facilities.
Of course, breastfeeding does not require a special place and is appropriate—as the Canadian government's slogan says—"anytime, anywhere." The purpose of the symbol is not to segregate breastfeeding, but to help integrate it into society by better accommodating it in public.
For example, sometimes there are no chairs in public, sometimes nowhere to change the baby, or for the mother separated from her baby, nowhere to plug in an electric breast pump. Mothers welcome quiet, private places in public where they can collect themselves and their children. The symbol could designate these kinds of places.
In addition, businesses could use this symbol to designate a lactation room, required now by law in California. Restaurants could use the image to let moms know, "Breastfeeding welcome here." We've already heard from a new airport and a university interested in using the symbol. When you see this new symbol in use, please let us know, and if possible, send us a photo.
The winning image was designed by Matt Daigle of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Matt is a stay-at-home dad, freelance graphic designer, and cartoonist. Matt and his wife Kay are the parents of one-year-old son Hayden.
The breastfeeding symbol is available copyright free. Matt has signed it over to the Public Domain. You can download a PDF of the International Breastfeeding Symbol here.
Mothering's Interview with Matt:
Mothering magazine (MM): Did your wife breastfeed?
Matt Daigle (MD): Yes she did.
MM: Any breastfeeding-in-public experiences you'd like to share?
MD: The most awkward experience we had breastfeeding in public was on a four-hour flight to visit my family. The airline had my wife and I in separate seats (with my wife in a middle seat), even though we had booked our tickets months in advance. My wife and I pleaded with the airline explaining to them that it would be very difficult for my wife to be discreet and breastfeed our son if she was seated between two passengers. The airline would not budge. So when we boarded the plane a wonderful man from Minnesota gave up his seat (that he paid extra for just to sit by a co-worker) so that I could be with my wife and she could breastfeed Hayden more discreetly. The plane was very hot so my wife could not cover Hayden with a blanket and feed him—so I basically had to hold up the blanket so they could have air. My wife told me Hayden was making these loud sucking sounds and was saying "Mmmmmmm" as in "Yum, Mom" the whole feed—it was hilarious.
MM: Why did you enter this contest?
MD: My friend who subscribes to Mothering magazine forwarded the contest information to me. She knew that one of my passions is logo design and she thought I would do a great job in creating something that would benefit breastfeeding mothers.
MM: What inspired your design for the breastfeeding symbol?
MD: My wife and son inspired me.
MM: What elements/aspects of breastfeeding did you hope to convey?
MD: I wanted the icon to accurately convey a child nursing on his mother's breast rather than being held by a mother or parent. I wanted the image to be feminine. I wanted to give the impression of breast on the icon (the space between the baby's arm and his/her chin), without having to show a breast in its entirety. While I feel that breastfeeding and breasts are natural, I didn't want to alienate those people who may have a more conservative view about exposing breasts, since this image could be released into the public domain.
MM: What do you hope your symbol conveys?
MD: I wanted the symbol to communicate to the public quickly, at a glance. I knew that it might be reduced to a small size and I didn't want the integrity of the design to be compromised by the small scale. Therefore, I designed an icon that could be recognized from a distance. I also wanted the design to be reversible in color—allowing the child to be blue and the mother white or vice versa—in order to match the other international icons for baggage claim, bathrooms, telephone, information desk and so on. I didn't want the symbol to be a departure from these other international symbols, lest it confuse the public into thinking that it was something other than a public service icon.
MM: How do you hope the symbol will be used?
MD: I hope this symbol is used in all public places to clearly communicate to the public that breastfeeding is natural and healthy and that as a society we support it. I hope that having a symbol will encourage more entities to establish breastfeeding-friendly areas for families to use. Finally, I hope that this symbol will encourage people to make breastfeeding their first choice in nourishing their children.
Some of those places I would like to see the symbol used are in airports, bus and subway stations, malls, rest areas, hospital waiting rooms, fitness centers, grocery stores, parks, amusement parks, and so on—anywhere many people gather for periods of time.
MM: Where would you put the symbol?
MD: I would put the icon anyplace where other international symbols are displayed, but especially in directories at the above places, in brochures, promotional materials, travel packages, freeway information signs, and so on.
I would also like airplanes to offer both a wheelchair accessible/breastfeeding seat. When the seat is not being used by people in wheelchairs, then it could be used by breastfeeding mothers. The breastfeeding symbol on airline websites and ticketing information would indicate to families that such a seat was available.
MM: Anything else you'd like to tell us about your design?
MD: As a profoundly deaf individual, I know how important it is to communicate through visual means. This is why I wanted my design to communicate clearly and quickly that breastfeeding facilities are offered or nearby. I also know, first hand, how frustrating it is to be in a public place and have a hungry baby and not have a clue if breastfeeding facilities are nearby or even offered at all. How much easier it would be to walk up to an information desk, point to the breastfeeding icon, and be directed to the facilities.
MM: Any words of wisdom for the world regarding breastfeeding?
MD: Breastfeeding is natural and healthy and women should never feel embarrassed or awkward for feeding their children in public.
Read Keoland Television's interview of Matt Daigle: http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6373.cfm?Id=0,53561.
The winning image was chosen from over 500 entries, and 12 semi-finalists. The criteria for selecting the final image included public voting, votes of the major breastfeeding organizations, as well as design and reproduction standards. In addition to the 12 Semi-Finalists, the symbol committee selected The Most Artistic and the Ones that Make us Smile.
EV: It's your band.
~Q Magazine
"Kisses for the glow...kisses for the lease." - BDRII