Time Magazine Breastfeeding Cover?

lilles · May 2012

Has anyone seen this yet or read the article? How do you feel about it. It shows a mom BF a 3 year old. Apparently people are outraged about the cover. I just saw the picture online and will be buying the magazine to see what they are saying about AP.

tokenhoser · May 2012

They obviously chose the photo so that people would buy the magazine. I'd say it's working.

I don't really love Dr. Sears. I haven't found his advice helpful. I don't like his stance on vaccines. His sleep books are trash. He's sure not MY ap guru.

Quazel · May 2012

I haven't been on in a long time but I saw an article on it and I can't wait to read it! I happen to love Dr. Sears and found a lot of his advice to be wonderful for my DS. Every kid and every parent are different though.

mmhorn79 · May 2012

I came here to see what you ladies were saying about the magazine cover (I haven't been on the board in ages, I miss it!). It is frustrating to see "AP" being raised as so controversial when I see so many of my friends and folks online who identify with the philosophy as being way more in the middle of the road on things and more about doing what works for your family.

I wonder how I can make this magazine cover into a learning opportunity for friends and family who are still trying to understand AP...

PunkyBooster · May 2012

tokenhoser:
They obviously chose the photo so that people would buy the magazine. I'd say it's working.

I don't really love Dr. Sears. I haven't found his advice helpful. I don't like his stance on vaccines. His sleep books are trash. He's sure not MY ap guru.

This.

I think the cover photo is distasteful if not provacotive. They could have done something much more tasteful that would still cause people to shriek in horror, drop everything, and buy the stupid thing.

october_artist · May 2012

I think the cover is totally sensationalistic. "Let's get people fired up about something that this photo doesn't even portray realistically". It's really annoying to see a publication obviously taking a side just with the cover - I mean seriously, the composition, the title - it doesn't portray what extended feeding seems to be about at all. It's gonna sell magazines though, and that is what they are about.

Julia_JJ · May 2012

PunkyBooster:
tokenhoser:
They obviously chose the photo so that people would buy the magazine. I'd say it's working.

I don't really love Dr. Sears. I haven't found his advice helpful. I don't like his stance on vaccines. His sleep books are trash. He's sure not MY ap guru.
This.
I think the cover photo is distasteful if not provacotive. They could have done something much more tasteful that would still cause people to shriek in horror, drop everything, and buy the stupid thing.

Seriously - the photo is art-directed to within an inch of its life. "Mommy wars? Let's put the kid in camo to drive the point home!"

Mamasaurus · May 2012

Julia_JJ:
PunkyBooster:
tokenhoser:
They obviously chose the photo so that people would buy the magazine. I'd say it's working.

I don't really love Dr. Sears. I haven't found his advice helpful. I don't like his stance on vaccines. His sleep books are trash. He's sure not MY ap guru.
This.
I think the cover photo is distasteful if not provacotive. They could have done something much more tasteful that would still cause people to shriek in horror, drop everything, and buy the stupid thing.

Seriously - the photo is art-directed to within an inch of its life. "Mommy wars? Let's put the kid in camo to drive the point home!"

Ugh, I hadn't even noticed that! WTF.

Still free to be me · May 2012

Well, after seeing that picture, I was thinking of trying it...

jday1229 · May 2012

They really did pick the most sensational photo possible, you can see other photos from the cover shoot here https://lightbox.time.com/2012/05/10/parenting/

PunkyBooster · May 2012

fredalina:
october_artist:
I think the cover is totally sensationalistic. "Let's get people fired up about something that this photo doesn't even portray realistically". It's really annoying to see a publication obviously taking a side just with the cover - I mean seriously, the composition, the title - it doesn't portray what extended feeding seems to be about at all. It's gonna sell magazines though, and that is what they are about.
What, people don't ACTUALLY breastfeed with their toddlers standing on chairs and everyone vertical?

Toward weaning, DS BF vertical. He straddled across my lap and face planted into my boob. It worked just fine.

ChristyML · May 2012

Several years ago, my mom saw a mother in church breast feeding her 5 year old daughter. While that seems really old to me, I am probably let my baby wean his/herself when they want. It's better to breastfeed for as long as you can, so I'm not going to cry about it.

I don't like the picture. It just looks way too staged, and staged is not beautiful to me.

QuiltingBee · May 2012

I think this is why folks think we will create children who become Toni Morrison characters if we breast feed them "after they are old enough to ask for it"

I thought the picture was unnecessarily inflammatory, and the title and subtitle were intentionally divisive.

Jenilyn and Matthew · May 2012

I haven't read the article, but I wish the cover was done differently. If it had been a picture of a mother nursing her child in a chair, on a bench at the park, or ANYTHING else it would have been beautiful. This picture bothers me a litte bit. It looks more like a kid just sucking on a boob, not nursing. I nursed DD for 13 months, and this picture just rubs me the wrong way as a way to attract attention to a cover, not a story or topic.

Quazel · May 2012

fredalina:
october_artist:
I think the cover is totally sensationalistic. "Let's get people fired up about something that this photo doesn't even portray realistically". It's really annoying to see a publication obviously taking a side just with the cover - I mean seriously, the composition, the title - it doesn't portray what extended feeding seems to be about at all. It's gonna sell magazines though, and that is what they are about.
What, people don't ACTUALLY breastfeed with their toddlers standing on chairs and everyone vertical?

That was DS' favorite nursing position! When he wasn't upside down!

There are many great points between the two threads on here. I am still strongly AP but dislike how it is being presented. I look forward to buying the magazine today and seeing what the articles really say. Then I will rant or rave.

queenie521 · May 2012

I wanted to sneak in here to see what you ladies thought about the magazine. DH showed me an article discussing the debate on it, where I saw the cover. I agree with all of you ladies.....that image is distasteful. I BF'd both my boys until they were a year and although I never did "extended BFing" what unnerves me about this image is that there is no emotional bond between mother/child which is one of the things BFing is all about......it is more of an "FU, I will do what I want" type of photo which is just very off-putting and if nothing else, will just stir more unnecessary drama about the issue. The thing that angers me even more is that if you actually read the article, the image has little, if not nothing to do with the article which is pretty much directed towards Dr Sears himself, his and his families life and how they came about their teachings. I dont like how this image is there just to sell magazines and not to properly discuss the debate itself.

bugsmami · May 2012

I haven't read the article, but they (the woman, Dr. Sears, and Time editor) were on Today this am.... I don't think they gave them enough time to really explain things, but I thought the woman did good at the end with saying that is wasn't an all or nothing type of parenting. You can take the aspects of AP that work for you and your family. She also said that the pose wasn't the best representation of what BF your toddler looks like...haha. I will say that my toddler has to stand if he wants to nurse while I am nursing the baby

Also, I don't get what is so "extreme" about wanting to create the strongest bond possible with your child. If they don't have a strong attachment at home then they will find it elsewhere in the world... and when they are older they will definitely find it in other places.

SortaCrunchy · May 2012

I'm basically neutral in my opinions on the cover. On the one hand, it would be nice if they had focused more (or even a little!) on the bond between the mom and toddler instead of the defiant pose they chose. On the other hand, choosing to breastfeed beyond infancy *is* pretty much defying our (North American) cultural norms, and they want to sell magazines. I think I get it, although I do have to wonder what the little boy will think of the photo when he's older.

What is baffling to me is just how much controversy this cover is attracting. Yes, seeing a 3 y.o. nursing is a little shocking. So what? Magazines put shocking/provocative images on their covers all the time. I honestly don't see how this publicity stunt is any different.

What bothers me is that AP is being portrayed as "extreme". I've never read anything by the Sears family, and I don't necessarily consider myself to be full on AP, but my husband and I made the choices that felt right and natural for our family. There's nothing extreme about it.

SqueezeTheClay · May 2012

fredalina:
What, people don't ACTUALLY breastfeed with their toddlers standing on chairs and everyone vertical?

It's funny you say this, I nursed my first until he was almost 3 and we went through a LONG phase where he would only nurse standing up. Most of the time I was just sitting on the couch leaning forward. It was a pretty funny sight though, and put nursing in public to rest for a while.

PunkyBooster · May 2012

fredalina:
PunkyBooster:

fredalina:
october_artist:
I think the cover is totally sensationalistic. "Let's get people fired up about something that this photo doesn't even portray realistically". It's really annoying to see a publication obviously taking a side just with the cover - I mean seriously, the composition, the title - it doesn't portray what extended feeding seems to be about at all. It's gonna sell magazines though, and that is what they are about.
What, people don't ACTUALLY breastfeed with their toddlers standing on chairs and everyone vertical?

Toward weaning, DS BF vertical. He straddled across my lap and face planted into my boob. It worked just fine.

Did you miss the part about standing on a chair?

Ha, no, but you did ask about vertical nursing- which technically he did LOL

And I agree that the photo looks staged.

SoxFan777 · May 2012

QuiltingBee:

I think this is why folks think we will create children who become Toni Morrison characters if we breast feed them "after they are old enough to ask for it"

Nice reference. Love her...

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