What's with people putting their tits in their avatar? As if anyone wants to see that. Take it to a porn site.
Does This Twitter Avatar Offend You?
In a Twitter version of the Time cover controversy, a mom is getting flak for using a picture of herself breastfeeding as her avatar.
I know, right? Now tell your friends!
Does This Twitter Avatar Offend You?
Anna North
The above is the avatar of Arwyn, who tweets as @RaisingBoychick. On her blog, also called Raising My Boychick, she describes herself as “a walking contradiction: knitting feminist fulltime parent, Wiccan science-minded woowoo massage student therapist!, queer-identified male-partnered monogamist, body-loving healthy-eating fat chick, unmedicated mostly-stable bipolar.” She also writes that she practices many aspects of attachment parenting, including co-sleeping, elimination communication (in which parents teach children to communicate when they need to go to the bathroom, often without the use of diapers), and yes, extended breastfeeding. The baby above is Arwyn’s daughter, whom she calls “Vulva Baby,” but her now-five-year-old son (Boychick) was, she says, a “breastfed toddler.”
Arwyn’s avatar arguably has less shock value than Time’s instantly-infamous breastfeeding cover. But it did inspire some Twitter wrath, kicked off by user @juliewashere88:
Just because you've got an infant sucking it does not mean anyone wants to see your tits. Keep those pics to yourself. #childfree
I don't care who is sucking it, I did NOT ask to see photos of your saggy, leaky, veiny tits. KEEP THOSE TO YOURSELF! #childfree
@RaisingBoychick Just so you know, your avatar violates twitter image policy. You've been reported.
Julie is in some ways Arwyn’s opposite. On her blog, the Hiking Humanist, she writes, “Instead of child-proofing our home, as some young couples do, we decided to childproof ourselves. As my BF and I are both happily Childfree, I had a tubal ligation, coincidentally, on World Population Day. Getting fixed is no easy task at 22 when you have no kids.” Soon after her criticism, others piled on:
@juliewashere88 the exposure of a mother's breasts isn't better than the exposure of mine just b/c there's an infant attached #childfree
@juliewashere88 & "lactivist" women sometimes complain about sexist billboards showing female parts? Public boobs r either OK or they're not
@Faeries517 I think what us #childfree object 2 is the pref treatment & constant deference we have 2 show to parents, even if they r wrong
@FarrenSquare @geeoharee @juliewashere88 I'm actually in favor of public breastfeeding; keeps the little fuckers quiet #childfree
Couples! Before you breed, remember: pregnancy is a preventable illness. #childfree
Happy Endangered Species Day! Kudos to those who are working hard to help the animals & to protect the world from human harm. #childfree
Neither Arwyn nor Julie have yet responded to our request for comment, and it’s not clear whether Arwyn’s avatar actually violates Twitter’s terms of service — they prohibit “obscene or pornographic images in either your profile picture or user background,” but have not yet responded to our question about whether breastfeeding constitutes obscenity. Some users, though, have jumped to Arwyn’s defense:
I'm disturbed by some of the comments/tweets I'm seeing from other #childfree ppl that are totally disrespectful of mothers and #choice
I am in favor of supporting unconditionally the ability of women to choose childfree or motherhood. Even when it isn't reciprocated
Just because you choose to be #childfree doesn't mean you should hate children and those that choose to have them. #liveandletlive
Like the Time cover, today’s Twitter argument illustrated that if you want to get people riled up, discussing breastfeeding is a great way to do it. Though one guy did manage to keep a sense of humor:
The worst thing about being #childfree is I have to get my own beer. IT'S THE REASON I HAD KIDS IN THE FIRST PLACE
Update: Asked to comment on the discussion around her avatar, Arwyn responded via Twitter: “For the record, there was no discussion. [Julie] trolled me with anti-breastfeeding bigotry, I blocked and then had fun with my friends, both moms and childfree.” Julie, also via Twitter, wrote “‘discussion’ seems generous. The echange going on is ‘moms are special’ and ‘no theyre not.’”
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51 Responses So Far
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fduchesne78 11 months agoSeriously? This argument should be about a lady’s boob stuffed into the face of an innocent baby that CANNOT defend itself! Let the whole “woman’s choice to expose her fat breast or the public’s right not to see it” BE! Just let it be…really, respect all and we will be fine. Now…shouldn’t we be discussing this child’s lack of self defense skills. Seriously, some brilliant person needs to come up with a way to instill in these newborns the knowledge and skills to SMACK THAT FAT ASS BOOBIE OUT OF IT’S FACE…teach it some dodging techniques!
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- fduchesne78 thinks Does This Twitter Avatar Offend You? is OMG
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rachelh10 11 months agoIn Ontario we have the option as women to go topless in public. So this in no way shocks me. As we evolved did we hide our breasts while feeding our children?? NO so why is it so bad that you see a small slice of boob in a photo of a woman doing something that is totally natural??
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- fanaca thinks Does This Twitter Avatar Offend You? is Cute, WTF & LOL
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kea718 11 months ago
I wonder how often babies wind up in the hospital or morgue because they’re mother’s tit suffocated them while they tried to feed…. I have a problem with this pic because it is so obviously endangering the child. Does this fat ass (she said it herself) realize that people (babies included) can’t have their while face (nose and mouth specifically) blocked because then they can’t breath? Does she know babies don’t breathe from their ears?
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SashaWoodsonComedy a year ago
look, i could give 2 shits about breastfeeding in public. do it, don’t do it. but if you do, just deal with the fact you might get a cross eyed look. if you do it in a privately owned business, and they object, move on.
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- slipperydragons thinks Does This Twitter Avatar Offend You? is Ew
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Jordan H. a year agoHey America, let’s join some of our first world European countries and stop making breasts so forbidden. It’s like they are some secret treasure that no one knows about. Everyone has nipples even guys and for some reason as long as the girls nipple is covered then it’s cool but you see aerola and it’s like OMGAH! But guys get to walk around shirtless showing their nips all the time. Even chicks with a flat chest has to cover them even though her boyfriends pecs are bigger. Just doesn’t make sense. I just don’t see what the big deal is. Everyone has boobs, women just have larger versions. That is unless you are an obese man at the beach with the no shirt. Some of those guys have bigger boobs than my D cups but why is it ok for them to be shown? No one wants to see that. I just don’t know why they have to be so taboo. EVERYONE has nipples and women shouldn’t have their breasts sexualized anymore. It’s not like it’s a vagina. I feel like the boobs were made sexual because of men and their horn dog desires for curviness and lots of fertilization but come on, we shouldn’t have a heart attack over a bare breast. Ok I’m off my soap box.
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llemmingtron a year agoIf she were holding her hands over her naked tits it would be fine—put a baby on it and suddenly it’s indecent!
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