Oh boy...

I started this blog to talk about all my impressions of being an American in France (again)... All the little cultural situations and snafus and differences and stuff. But I can tell that the blog will continue once I get BACK to the States. I am seeing the U.S. through French eyes... Through Franco-American eyes.

It became STARK this morning as I was watching the morning wake-up program on a network channel. They covered a particular station WJLA-TV who had done a report on breast cancer awareness at a local (don't remember where it was local) new station who used a BARE BREAST to show how a breast exam is supposed to be done. My first thought was, "so? this is news?" But then I saw some people react to the program. One woman said, "I think this is obscene, what if there are children in the room?" Another woman said that the station was just doing it for ratings. REALLY? It's a goddamn report about BOOBS. I SAW the report (with the boobs censored with a little white rectangle) and trust me, it wasn't obscene. It wasn't even sexy (and I actually LIKE boobs "that way"). It was clinical and informational. I am shocked and ANGERED that anyone, especially a WOMAN would ever be put off by bare breasts in such a light. I was even shocked that they referred to it as "nudity." It is crap like this that makes women scared to breastfeed in public. Ridiculous.

Okay. That's all. Just needed to vent. I guess my brain has been French-washed since I've been living over there.

Breast exams SAVE lives. If a bare-breasted exam on the news enlightens women on how exactly to do the exam, I say, "Bring on the boobies!!!" But, I'd prolly say that anyway. *grin*