This MMA Ring Girl Just Shared Two Very Different Photos of Her Breasts for an Important Reason
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It's no secret that society holds a hypocritical view of breasts. While they are welcome in sexual marketing campaigns and commercials, women are frequently shamed for breastfeeding in public places.
Jackie Owens, a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) ring girl, is all too familiar with this double standard. In a post for the Facebook page The Badass Breastfeeder, Owens juxtaposed two very different images of herself in order to highlight society's inconsistent view of breasts. The image to the left shows her in a bikini as a ring girl, and the image to the right shows her breastfeeding her child.
In the post, which has received more than 1,000 likes, Owens wrote that both photos have received a mix of criticism and praise on social media. She wrote that people who like seeing her in the bikini shot should also be fine with seeing her breastfeeding photo.
"I have received an amazing amount of support, and criticism, on both [photos]," she wrote. "Ironically, on different ends of the spectrum, even from the same individuals. Guess which one had positive vs negative feedback. [Shake my head]. If seeing the picture on the left is ok with you, then seeing the picture on the right should be ok with you."
Many commenters celebrated her photos and post, noting that both images are special in different ways and that people should not feel uncomfortable at the sight of a mom feeding her baby:
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“I find it amusing that generally those same critics are OK with a woman’s body being sexualized," Owens told Babble.
Owens is not the only woman to take a stand for breastfeeding mothers.
Actress Alyssa Milano has posted several Instagram photos of herself breastfeeding her children in an attempt to normalize the practice.
"When you have these babies, that connection is so meant to be and so profound,” she told Entertainment Tonight of life as a mother last year. “You look at them and you go, 'Oh, this is why. This is why I went through everything in my life.’”
