In a path-breaking photo-shoot for the magazine Grihalakshmi, Malayalam poet and model Gilu Joseph posed for the cover, breastfeeding her child. The move has already been hailed as progressive step towards de-sexualising breastfeeding and giving women the freedom to feed their child without the fear of being criticised. Many lactating mothers have been shamed in the past or leered at while they breastfed their infants in public. But the act is completely natural and apart from relieving the child’s hunger, breastfeeding also relieves mothers from the pain caused due to milk engorgement.

In an interview she gave to The Indian Express, Gilu explains that breastfeeding is a privilege that only a mother has. She calls it a natural phenomenon which shouldn’t be sexualised the way it is. But what makes Gilu’s move particularly brave is that she fought opposition from her own family members who staunchly opposed her decision to pose with her child.

As much as we applaud Gilu for such a courageous step, it’s important to also applaud other female celebrities, both Indian and International, who bravely fought the social stigma and breastfed in public. Back in 2008, immediately after the birth of her twins Vivienne and Knox, Angelina Jolie was snapped by Brad Pitt breastfeeding the new borns. The iconic picture then graced the cover of W Magazine.

Closer home, actress Lisa Haydon also posed breastfeeding her child on Instagram. But trolls and perverts were quick to ruin the moment with their inappropriate comments, highlighting how the world sexualises an act that is completely biological and beautiful.

Grihalakshmi is a women’s magazine which has a massive readership in Kerala. So it was truly courageous on their part to risk a possible backlash from their readers. There’s no saying how the readers will react to the magazine cover, but one thing is for certain. It will certainly highlight the need de-stigmatise breastfeeding in public and do its part in focusing their readers’ attention towards normalising it.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2018 07:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).