You’ve probably heard about the new breastfeeding baby doll coming to American toy stores. Old news, right? But people keep ranting and raving about it.
I wasn’t going to touch this topic. It didn’t seem like a big deal. Little girls (boys, too, probably) have been pretending to feed their baby dolls in whichever way they’ve seen their mothers doing for generations.
So why do some people keep warning that this doll will sexualize little girls or steal their innocence (ignorance)?
Actual warnings:
Pedophiles will be crowding one another off of playground benches trying to ogle all the little girls pretending to nurse their dolls in public. Six-year-old girls will feel encouraged to get pregnant.
In response to these disturbing ideas, I’ll echo long-time nursing mom Paxye: “So if breastfeeding is sexual, then isn’t bottle feeding equal to using a dildo in public?”
Yesterday, I was so disgusted with comments from Americans against the Spanish toy manufacturer Berjuan, that I considered leaving the country. I wanted to flee from a culture so disturbed that it sexualizes breastfeeding. Hey pedophiles, you’ve got a lot of company.
But I got over it. If we can create a culture with a taboo against natural baby feeding, we can create one that supports moms and babies.
Besides, the doll is expensive and it’s probably not going to be very popular. We live in a culture with a taboo against breastfeeding. Let’s get real: Most of this country’s little girls will not pretend to be nursing mommies. They’ll stick with their O-mouth dolls and mini plastic bottles.
Source: Originally published on Examiner.com.