'Perplexed'
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is filled with nude statues of women and men — which is why one mom was “perplexed” after she was asked to cover up while breastfeeding her child.
The Twitter user @Vaguechera posted about her experience after they visited the museum on Saturday, saying, “Flashed a nanosecond of nipple while #breastfeeding and was asked to cover up in @V_and_A courtyard. Am perplexed….”
She then tweeted out photos of the various nude statues they came across during their day out — including one that was breastfeeding a child.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]Tristram Hunt, the director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, quickly tweeted an apology.
“V sorry. Our policy is clear: women may breastfeed wherever they like, wherever they feel comfortable & shld not be disturbed,” he wrote.
United Kingdom law allows women to breastfeed in public.
The mom accepted Hunt’s apology, and suggested the museum retrain their staff, particularly in light of World Breastfeeding Week.
She also thanked everyone on Twitter for their support, explaining that she was “so surprised” to get called out at the museum in part because she made it through three and a half years of breastfeeding without ever having an issue.
She also points out why she felt it was necessary to share her story.
“Reason it’s important: embarrassment about #breastfeeding one of most common reasons that women give up.”