Breastfeeding woman asked to ‘cover up’ in London museum

A woman breastfeeding her one-year-old child was asked to ‘cover up’ her breast in London’s Victoria and Albert museum.

A woman breastfeeding her one-year-old child was asked to ‘cover up’ her breast in a museum in London even as the World Breastfeeding Week to spread the awareness about the value of breastfeeding for mothers as well as children was being observed across the globe.

Instead of bearing that in silence, she took to Twitter to express her amazement.

The woman, who posts as @vaguechera on Twitter, said she had “flashed a nanosecond of nipple” in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum’s courtyard when she was told to conceal her breast.

And she didn’t stop there.

She also posted pictures of “Mankind,” “Pluto and Proserpina” and “Vertumnus and Pomona,” among other pieces at the V&A, all of which prominently feature nude female breasts, highlighting the museum’s double standards.

The woman told the BBC she was “stunned into silence” by the request from a female member of staff.

“I had been attempting to be discreet and to feed under a cardigan, but with a distracted one-year-old it can be challenging,” she said.

“The staff member was friendly and polite, but obviously asking me to cover up was still intrusive, unpleasant and embarrassing for me, as well as obviously ludicrous,” she added.

Tristram Hunt, the director of the Victoria and Albert museum, tweeted an apology to the woman.

“V sorry. Our policy is clear: women may breastfeed wherever they like, wherever they feel comfortable & shld not be disturbed (sic),” he said in a tweet.The incident reignited the long-standing debate, where some appreciated her for speaking out about the incident, while others thought that a woman should ‘use a bottle in public’. Here’s how people reacted on social media.World Breastfeeding Week is held every year between August 1 to 7 in more than 120 countries by World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), World Health Organization, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).

Source:-hindustantimes