Umbrage at Twitter breastfeeding post

A man who posted on his Twitter account a picture of a woman breastfeeding after he was upset by her actions has received a barrage of abuse.

@chadirl took the photograph of the woman and her baby at New Plymouth’s Centre City foodcourt on Saturday and loaded it on to his social network site.

‘‘What? I come to the foodcourt to enjoy my food, not watch someone flop their boob out. You don’t do that where people are trying to eat. Isn’t that what parent rooms are for?’’

The picture has now been deleted and the account locked.

@chadirl did not respond to a request from the Taranaki Daily News for an interview.

Numerous people who posted comments to @chadirl’s Twitter account and commented on the Taranaki Daily News website described him as a ‘‘creepy perv’’.

Kathy said how dare @chadirl take a picture.

‘‘If he didn’t like what he saw, look away, none of his business. I think he just wanted the pic.’’

Smithy said breastfeeding was the most natural thing in the world.

‘‘Grow up and get a life. Women have the right to breastfeed their child where ever they damn well like.’’

He said if @chadirl had an issue with it, the problem lay squarely with him. ‘‘You clearly never actually grew into a mature man but stayed a little boy who finds such normal day to day things discomforting.’’

Mary said maybe @chadirl should stay out of public areas if he could not cope with ‘‘natural doings of society’’.

‘‘And anyway what sort of a person takes a photo?????’’

Centre City manager Ernie Heath said the complex supported women who wanted to breastfeed.

‘‘We have a parents’ room for people who want to breastfeed in privacy but we’ve always allowed people to breastfeed in the common areas,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s a natural part of life. The privacy rooms are really for the women’s benefit, some people want to be in private, they don’t want people ogling them when they are feeding their baby.’’

Mr Heath said the centre did not support @chadirl taking the photo and posting it online.

‘‘I’m disappointed that someone would do that. I think it is very small-minded.’’

He said if @chadirl felt offended by the woman breastfeeding he could have spoken to the centre’s management.

Constable Glenn Olliver said police had not received a complaint from the woman.

Mr Olliver could not say if an offence had been committed.

‘‘We would obviously talk to her but without talking to her, we couldn’t say whether we would take it any further of not.’’