A disturbing picture featuring a seemingly nude man “breastfeeding” a baby is going viral on social media, with many raising child safeguarding concerns and calling it “depraved.”
The photo originates from post on an “intersectional” Instagram community. Feminist, which has over 6.5 million followers on the platform, describes itself as “amplifying a diverse network of change-makers.”
On November 15, 2021, Feminist featured the work of Argentina-based photographer Kenny Lemes. While five pieces of Lemes’ art were posted in total, one in particular featured a seemingly naked male cradling a baby, which was suckling at a rubber nipple that had been affixed to the male model’s own.
The post has since been deleted from Feminist‘s Instagram catalogue, but still appears on Lemes’ account.
In the post description, Feminist featured a mini-interview with Lemes, who told the outlet that the purpose of the photo was to “[expand] the gaze on bodies,” claiming it was a “very important political act one discovers the potency of existing, proudly, on the edges of hetero-patriarchal thinking.”
While the response to Lemes’ work varied, a number of users pointed out that the image of the male model breastfeeding the baby, which had been the second photo in the set, was “disturbing.”
“Please don’t use babies as props for your art.” One user wrote, her comment getting over 400 likes with a response chiming in response “Agreed! The second photo is not okay.”
Another user said: “You lost me on the second photo. The disrespect and mockery is insane. Being a woman is not getting into some sort of character. Not to mention, breastfeeding is hard and a journey on its own.” With more users noticing that Lemes’ work was advertised as being “feminist art” and yet primarily utilized and promoted male models.
Feminist had limited the ability for people to comment on the post shortly after it was uploaded due to the high proportion of negative replies, but appears to have wiped the post from their feed sometime in late November or early December of 2021, according to the Internet Archive.
This weekend, Lemes’ photo began to circulate on social media once again, with some popular commentators expressing disgust and outrage at what some called “child abuse.”
“This is deep, deep misogyny—reducing female biology to a fetish practice It is child abuse—using a baby as a prop in his psychosexual drama Disordered man Horrible behavior,” Wild Woman Writing Club said in response to the photo, which had been posted by popular commentator Seth Dillon.
“It’s completely disgusting and it’s abusing the dignity of that poor child. Where is the mother?! How can anyone allow their innocent child to be used as a fetish prop?!” Japanese feminist We Are Women replied.
Some said the photo recalled a previous controversial snap featuring similar themes in which a naked male model was photographed with a distressed baby on his lap.
The photo, taken by and featuring American artist Michael Bailey Gates, was displayed in New Yorker Magazine in 2020, but has similarly begun making the rounds on social media as people renewed interest.
While both of the pictures are intended to be artistic representations, they have both resulted in discussions and renewed concerns about gender ideology and its impact on child safeguarding.
There have recently been multiple incidents in which trans-identified males sought to validate their gender identity through the use of childrearing and breastfeeding. Earlier this year, Reduxx reported on a viral Reddit post in which a trans-identified male photographed himself with a newborn baby latched to his chest.
The post, titled “Oh my God I’m breastfeeding my daughter,” detailed how the user worked with a lactation consultant and his gender physician for several months prior to his female partner giving birth. The baby had been born just one week before the photo was taken, and the user stated the child has been alternating feedings between his wife, formula, and himself.
At the time, Reduxx spoke to retired family physician Dr. Maja Bowen, who expressed “several concerns” about the trend in trans-identified males seeking to “feed” children.
“What comes out of a man’s nipple is not mother’s milk, but a watery substance devoid of antibodies and nutrients that are found in mother’s milk, the composition of which changes as the baby grows up,” Dr. Bowen explained. She noted that the few studies which had been done on the nutritional composition of “male breastmilk” were inadequate at demonstrating its nutritional value or safety.
In 2017, trans-identified male author Dana Fried reported that he had been “breastfeeding” his wife’s baby, and reported that he had “gotten off” on it.
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