It’s 2021 and people are still being shamed, facing backlash and given flack for things that are, honestly, no big deal. Case in point: Malaysian actress Emma Maembong, who was shamed on social media for posting about pumping milk for her child in public. Now, if the words “pumping milk” and “public” in the same sentence is triggering, let’s take a look at the post itself before we jump the gun.
In it, 28-year-old Maembong is seen casually strolling along (In what appears to be a gated community? Apartment? In any case, the walls are noticeable in the background). She’s radiant – casually dressed, smiling and drinking from a juice box. Nothing untoward, nothing inappropriate. Oh, and attached to the waistband of her jeans is a portable breast pump.
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As you can see, the only notable aspect of the pump is the almost invisible tube and the remote for the pump attached to the ‘Sesaat Bahagiaku’ star. And yet, the hardworking mom was targeted by disgruntled keyboard warriors who lamented her decision to “pump” in public. Multiple comments centred around the idea that the star should be “ashamed” for pumping in public, with some calling her a “bad influence”. Emma herself has not said anything about the issue, but older sister Beby Maembong took to her Instagram to call out the haters.
“There are dirty-minded people in Emma’s comments calling her shameless and saying that she’s showing off how she pumps her breast milk. The people leaving these comments must be childless […] It’s not like we want to show off our breasts or how we pump. We do it for the sake of our child,”
As Beby went on to point out,
“There is nothing strange about the picture. You can’t see anything nor does it show anything. It’s no different from an OOTD. So, what’s the shame?”
In this day and age, there ought to be a zero-tolerance policy for shaming hardworking mothers – imagine balancing work on top of raising a child. There’s also the fact that on top of being an employee and a mother, they’re a wife, sister, daughter and, most basic of all, a human being. And while breastfeeding is legal in Malaysia, the country lacks the facilities to support working mothers who need to breastfeed or pump milk. Without proper nursing or baby rooms in public places and offices – if there are, they’re usually pretty cramped, and worse, sometimes the dads will accompany the mums – mothers are left with little choice. Even then, for the simple act of wanting to feed their child, they’re given flack for doing so in a public area (even if they’re properly covered up!).
There are other, more important things to worry about (like how ‘blackface’ is still a thing??). Give working mothers the support they need (and rightfully deserve!) If you see a mom finding it a challenge to breastfeed her baby or who is looking to pump, look away or point her to a more comfortable, safe place.
*Cover image credit: Instagram / @emma_maembongofficial
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