Actress Kristen Bell has a candid take on breastfeeding in public.
“It’s boobs. It’s another part of your body that has skin,” she told CafeMom in an interview where she gave some advice on parenting, breastfeeding and “mom-shaming.”
“It’s comical that people are against feeding in public. Like, ‘Are you against feeding children?’” Bell continued. “It’s not even an issue, or the fact that it is an issue is comical to me. If you’re aroused by that, I think it’s safe to say that’s your problem and not mine. If it makes you uncomfortable, it’s your responsibility to move away, not mine to cover up. I don’t care where I’m breastfeeding. It never crossed my mind. What crossed my mind is, ‘Was my child hungry?’”
The mom of two has a message for those who are “mom-shamed.”
“I really, really try hard to live by the Eleanor Roosevelt quote that ‘no one can make you feel inferior without your consent,’ she said. “And I wish I could whisper that into the ear of every mom ever. ‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent!’”
Bell also urged moms to be patient with themselves.
“Put on your gas mask first, because you’re useless to everyone else if you’re too stressed out. Know when to take a break,” she said, adding that she teams up with husband Dax Shepard in calling each other to take over if one of them needs a minute to step out of the room.
But what in motherhood could Bell do without?
“Super-early mornings. I’ll gladly take puke on my shirt or any amount of intestinal issues over those early wake-up calls,” she said.
