This Is Why Tia Mowry Doesn't Breastfeed In Public

Having breasts is all fun and games until they're used to sexualize even the most basic tasks in a woman's life.

With increasing advocacy in support of feminism and women's rights in the last decade, more millennial moms are fighting to eliminate the stigma that exists around breasts. Despite their tireless combat, the fact still remains that women cannot feed their babies in public without becoming a public spectacle. This leads some moms to opt against breastfeeding in public altogether, including actress, Tia Mowry, who recently opened up about the issue in a recent interview of ESSENCE. She said:

"I'm just gonna be really honest with you. I think it's awesome and amazing that we now can [all] breastfeed in public. But I'm still a little [hesitant and] I tend to do bottles out in public more than I do breastfeeding. Now, of course, if she doesn't want the bottle and she wants to take the boob, there have been several times when I've covered myself up and I'll go ahead and breastfeed in public."

The mother of two recently gave birth to her youngest daughter, Cairo, in May and said that her experience with breastfeeding this time around has been much easier, thanks to a few simple changes in her diet. After her recent pregnancy, Tia said that she produced more than enough milk but continued to find herself in awkward situations during feeding times.

"Can I give [an] analogy? When you go to a Korean spa…just stay with me for a minute…you're fully nude, right? I remember I went to a spa and this woman walked up to me and she's like, 'Hey, aren't you the girl from Sister, Sister?' I'm like, 'Oh, my gosh!' I'm fully naked, and again I'm like, 'This is unbearable!'" she said. "I don't know, people would see me just breastfeeding out in public and go, 'That's the girl from Sister, Sister, and guess what, I saw her boob!' You know?"

Although Tia says that she's hesitant about feeding in public due to her widespread popularity, she encourages other women to do what feels most natural to them. She continued, "That's just for me, but I think it's awesome and amazing that women are able to do it."

"I think every woman is different [and] every woman has their own comfort level. I think the key is to not judge other moms, or for us to not feel insecure about what other moms are doing."

Let's be honest, mom-bashing is a thing. Social media is easily accessible and gives people across the world the ability to voice their opinions about anything from how you choose to feed your child, to what toys you should buy. And it's complete madness.

According to Tia, we should focus less on how mother's choose to raise their children and worry more about ensuring that those children are healthy and happy. She told ESSENCE:

"Go at your own pace, go with what makes you feel comfortable. If you're comfortable with whipping out your boob, more power to the nation. But I will cover myself up, and that's how I breastfeed my daughter in public. I think the key is for us to not judge whether that's breast milk, whether that's formula, whether that's boob, whether that's no boob, whether that's bottle feeding. Let's all just relax and embrace each other and focus on our babies just being healthy and happy."

www.essence.com

To read the full interview click here.