Really Random Friday

1. Kiama’s not finished, but the short rows look good. I think it’s going to work, which would be about 8 kinds of awesome, since I love this piece.

2. I got a wii fit and have spent some time screwing around with it.  I’m not sure it’s a killer workout or anything, and I think I might still prefer going to yoga or going for a run to doing it virtually in the living room, but it is raining today- and it is fun, I give it that.  I have to get over the anger I feel towards it that it gave me a "wii fit" age of 49 though.  Pretty insulting.

3. I started the May socks of my self-imposed sock club.  The zip lock I pulled at random this month had Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Sierra in it –

and it was paired with the Froot Loops socks from Knitty.

I think the combo’s pretty good, and I’m already at the gussets of the first one.

4. I can’t believe this self-imposed sock club thing is working, but it is.

5.  I also can’t believe that I got mail about saying nipple and breasts in my blog post yesterday.  I’ve emailed back and forth with the people who sent mail, and everything is cool.  I’ll tell you what I told them.  Nipple is not a dirty word.  They are present on (just about) every person on earth, and in mammals (and we are mammals) they serve a pretty good function. (Let me take that back by 50%.  I’m not sure of the purpose they serve on men.  I think nature can’t figure out how to get them off.)  Nipple is no different a word than elbow. It cannot corrupt youth, get them pregnant or make them think about sex so much that they consider doing it. (Hint: Youth is already thinking about sex that much, even if you don’t say nipple.)   Furthermore (and you can tell I really mean it when I start whipping out the furthermores) nipples, at least on women, are there for the purposes of nursing our young, and frankly, I think that maybe if we didn’t have them all caught up in the crazy sex thing to the point that we can’t even talk about them at all without feeling dirty or worried, then maybe women wouldn’t be so totally screwed about what to do with them when a baby comes along.  From the perspective of someone who counseled breastfeeding women for years and years, I can tell you I really, really, really think it would have helped if the word nipple wasn’t coming up for the first time when we were trying to attach 7 pounds of starving humanity to it. 

Nipple Nipple Nipple Breast.

(And yeah, I know what sort of spam that’s going to get me.  I’ll live with it.)

474 thoughts on “Really Random Friday

  1. I absolutely agree, thank you for saying this. Nipple and breast are not dirty words and womens’ bodies and their biological functions are not dirty. Sex isn’t dirty either for that matter but nipple and breast are not just about sex. Thank you.

  2. That was fantastic. I’m tired of the human body being assumed inherently ‘dirty’.

  3. Well said….I am constantly amazed at the things that set people off…nipples….for crying out loud…I always wonder what some people do in the bath….if you can’t even say nipple how on earth do you bring yourself to actually wash them?

  4. Beautiful socks!
    Bravo on your stand on nipples and breasts. The only thing that makes them “dirty” or “naughty” are the dirty minds that think like that.
    My hat is off to you!

  5. I said it yesterday about your post and i am going to say it again- ‘i love you’. you totally crack me up, i just love reading your blog.

  6. You Go Girl!!
    Maybe if we women speak loudly enough everyone will realize just how cool our bodies are & what awesome things a woman’s body is capable of doing. It’s great to be a girl; nipples, breasts, & all that jazz! 😉

  7. nipple nipple nipple breast. I love that! I thought your post yesterday was fab – and have been happily thinking of mine as “working class” since then. it fits. It really helps put the MOTHER in Mother’s day.

  8. Yesterday I was just amazed by the thought that a squirrel may have bitten through your power line. If it really happened, it was a bad plan. I think the furry guy thought “Hey, if I make the house dark, I can sneak in and steal her yarn again.” Poor thing didn’t realize it was a suicide mission.

  9. Love the socks!
    And if everyone would just chill on the whole nipple/breast thing then people wouldn’t give me funny looks for breastfeeding in public they have been. My group of Ravelmamas has decided that the more openly we breastfeed in public then the easier it will be for the next generation so we’re trying to be cool about it. And we’re getting a lot of support which is just freakin’ awesome.

  10. Just wait until the Wii Fit gives you snarky comments for not working out enough. And better still, give your husband or daughter a Mii and then the Wii Fit will ask *them* snarky questions about you! Oh yes it will!
    As you might gather, I really wish there was a way to turn that feature off, but I haven’t found it yet.

  11. I dunno about the 50%, as my partner sure seems to enjoy his nipples a lot. 🙂

  12. You are officially awesome!
    As I’ve grown up, I’ve learned that for some reason our society has really gotten away from natural things, to the point of calling them inferior or even immoral. I don’t even like babies all that much and I fully support breast-feeding mothers. That’s what they have the nipples for, after all. A lot of babies are allergic to or can’t digest the commercial (and really expensive) formulas available. I just had to rethink my whole diet – I can’t eat anything processed at this point because my body can’t tolerate it. I think I’d have died as a baby if my mother hadn’t been too poor to afford formula. The question is, how do we convince people that natural is better?

  13. What I love most about you is that you often respond to a situation EXACTLY the way I would.
    You have done it again.
    and…nipple

  14. The Wii Fit gave me an age of 34. Halve that and add two, you’re closer to the mark. Not entirely sure how they calculate it but it’s mental.
    The socks are lovely, by the way. I am very impressed by your resolve with the sock club!

  15. Amen Sister!
    My kids have currently been learning a lot from the squirrel in our backyard with 6 sagging nipples. We’ve fed her for months, and just last week she brought 4 tiny squirrels to eat at our feeder.

  16. It’s amazing to me how many Victorian ideas we hold onto that aren’t nearly as good as their lace! Very well put!
    I love the sock club – it does seem to be working out for you, and I’ve found several patterns that I might want to try, so thanks for that! I might have to pair up a few of my (vast quantities of) skeins of sock yarn with patterns, so I don’t have to think about what to make with them!

  17. I have a four year old foster daughter. Earlier this week she pointed to one of her nipples and asked me what it was and why she has them. Then we talked about how my family calls breasts “boobs” but that “breasts” is more appropriate. At which point she told me that her mother calls them “titties.” Better than “coo-coo” which is her word for that other part of our anatomy mentioned by E.D. 🙂

  18. I am forever trying to teach my children that it is ok to say breast and nipple. My 17 year old son is mortified when my Journal of Human Lactation is on the table. Like he doesn’t notice them on females. Snort.

  19. Since I broke my wrist in 2 places my Wii Fit is my life saver – since I can’t knit. Enjoy it!!!

  20. My friend and I were reading about lactation yesterday, and surprisingly enough, men can lactate. For what purpose, I’m not sure, but it can be done.

  21. Let it be known that I read this post with 9lbs of starving humanity latched on to my left nipple.

  22. Excellent read, as always.
    Also, per your latest tweet: NIPPLE NIPPLE NIPPLE!
    Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a squirming three month old who has a date with one of mine.

  23. A couple of years ago the CBC aired a clip from an interview with a much loved and wholly elegant Canadian lady (June Callwood) who told a delightful story about sharing a room with her small grand-daughter. The wee girl watched her getting changed and then said with the great seriousness of enlightenment, “Oh, I see. When you get old your nipples point downwards.”

  24. The strength and core workouts on the Wii Fit are pretty great, I must say. Stay with it and it does get more advanced.
    My nursing 3.5 year old calls them bubbies. I call them awesome 🙂

  25. this is so funny, because just yesterday I saw a video in which Johnny Weir says “everyone has nipples”.

  26. THANK YOU!!!!
    And I can’t wait to hear more on the Wii Fit after a few months……

  27. “All things are clean to clean people.” Perhaps the kind of person who would take issue with “nipple” and “breast” simply has the kind of mind that would find dirt in anything. (Be it known that my great-grandmother refused to talk about helicopters because it had the syllable “hell” in it. Huh?) A woman’s body is perfectly designed for the job it has to do and is darn pretty in the bargain. Nipple nipple nipple breast, indeed! A great rallying cry!

  28. Oh for pete’s sake; you got email about saying “nipple” and “breast”? Either these people have just started reading your blog or they feel they have a mission to change you. The majority of us hope you don’t change a THING! If I had the money and time (which I don’t, because I’m homeschooling the son I suckled until he was 18 months old), I’d follow you around the country to all your speaking engagements, because laughter is good for the soul (Sock Summit ROCKED!) Your blog is a pretty good substitute, though.

  29. Do you think that if we banned the word ‘ankle’ and banned the showing of them that then they would become the new nipple?
    We have cows,conversations about ‘teats’ happen regularly, you should see the faces of non cow peaple react to the word ‘teat’, or anything reproductive about a cow!
    Love the socks…happy knitting.

  30. Can I add a “furthermore”? I’ll bet part of the reason there is so much killer breast cancer is because of this ‘dirty’ problem – women who won’t do a self exam because they think breasts and nipples are purely sexual.

  31. Don’t take the Wii Fit age too seriously. If you take the test every day, you will end up being vastly different ages from 16 to 60. Used my Wii Fit about 6 mos, and it got me INTERESTED in learning yoga. Now I use Yoga DVD’s instead–but grateful for the introduction.

  32. Nipple nipple nipple.
    Incidentally, today I am wearing a tshirt that reads “kia kaha nga titties o te whenua” which in Maori (and a bit of English) means “stand strong the titties of the people”

  33. My four year old Goddaughter tested me recently when she touched each of my breasts with her index finger and said “What are these?”
    “Breasts,” I replied.
    “Yes!,” she said, with great enthusiasm and shining eyes, “And when I am big like you are, I will have them!”

  34. Amen! on the nipple/breast feeding thing. I too worked with women learning how to breast feed and it is sometimes a challenge. What’s really a shame is that many women in this country feel the need to go to another room to feed their babies….
    Socks are grogeous! I’m working on the longer version of your sweater and am loving it. Thought I’d be bored but not so. Such pretty yarn; a thing I’m amazed about. Thanks for all your insights.

  35. Amen. If people are so afraid of common, useful words like nipples and breasts, why don’t they throw fits (sorry) when truly awful words are used – find them in any political speech. I worry sometimes that we will allow people to say anything and warp our minds into some kind of ugly mob (see any religious/political rally)and then freak us out by uttering some innocuous word, just like nipple. What a world.
    Socks are pretty by the way. I will employ the self sock club as soon as I get my sock mojo back!

  36. So nipple is bad when it’s attached to a person, but acceptable when it’s made of plastic and attached to a baby bottle?
    You know, sometimes we are really, really confusing, we people. And I think I am stealing your sock club idea for the second half of the year. Gotta do something with all this sock yarn!

  37. Yay you for point #5!
    (Though I have to acknowledge that I grew up with a LLL leader for a mom, meetings in our living room, LOTS and lots of nursing babies all through my life … and still had a majorly difficult time the first time I was trying to attach 8+ pounds of starving humanity to my own breast. But at least I totally knew it was doable!)

  38. I breastfed, and I have the best daughter ever. My nipples got used, my breasts got used – both in the manner intended. I love that I used something properly – unlike the wiifit – there is no proper historical use and I bloody can’t use it. Damn!

  39. Just can’t get the image of macho plumbers ordering nipples from the hardware store while blushing at the use of the same word when referring to cute babies and their moms out of my mind. I think there is a cartoon in this somewhere…..

  40. The very first time, Wii Fit put me at 39 – and I’m 27. So I think you got a pretty good deal. 😉
    The socks are lovely btw. 🙂
    Nipple is a lovely word, actually. 🙂

  41. I heart you Mrs. McPhee! You are the epitome of who we need to be when we grow up. Geez this world is an arse backwards place sometimes! Happiest of Mother’s Days… from another mother whose breasts have seen better days… 18 months of nursing is a killer on those unmentionables!

  42. You got … e-mail COMPLAINING because you used the words ‘nipple’ and ‘breast’ in a contextually appropriate manner ON YOUR OWN BLOG?????
    Holy guanaco!!!! Your blog, Steph. Your rules. Some people need to maybe get a grip.

  43. Still laughing, hours after reading your post. Everything you said is so true!!!

  44. holy cr*p! if a tiny, active person like you is given a wii fit age of 49, what hope is there for the rest of us??? i really wanted to get this system. now i am afraid of the awesome power it wields!!

  45. That made me think of the Monty Python sketch where John Cleese is spouting dirty talk like “Vibraphone” and “Wankel Rotary Engine.”

  46. “I’m not sure of the purpose they serve on men. I think nature can’t figure out how to get them off.”
    Pretty much that, I think. Stephen Jay Gould wrote about it and he defends the idea that men have nipples because male and female fetuses develop the same way for some time before diferentiating. He says that’s why women have clitorises too, they come from the general template. I found this quote online: http://books.google.com/books?id=nhIl7e61WOUC&pg=PP799&lpg=PP799&dq=stephen+jay+gould+tits+and+clits&source=bl&ots=ZBry16JXvD&sig=qDT5Pz3-RO6moFyDWCHLV9MIYFg&hl=en&ei=0oHkS7_-DY2nuAfhiOlc&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CC8Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false
    (sorry for the lack of html link)
    One of the reasons I love Gould is that he wanted to call his article “Tits and Clits”.

  47. I had to go back and look for the word “nipple” in your previous posts. I guess I should applaud the people that were reading your blog posts that closely… I wish I could do that with stuff like my anthropology reading. =P

  48. You’re right. You certainly weren’t being vulgar or graphic. When did discussing our bodies become taboo?
    By the way, my understanding is that no one will ever escape gravity :O)

  49. and ps: new slogan “RECLAIM THE NIPPLE! SISTERS UNITE!” 🙂

  50. If it makes you feel better, when I got my Wii Fit it also said I was 49, and I am actually 28 🙂 Don’t worry, I got younger pretty fast after it saw my hula hoop skills! And I agree with your concerns regarding the lack of use of the terms nipple and breast. Maybe if people didn’t make such a big deal about it, I would not have giggled like a 12-year old this week in my “Breastfeeding Basics” class when the lady on the video said “the baby should have a mouthful of breast.” And I agree with beth–Bosom should make a comeback.

  51. Were you really a breastfeeding consultant? I wish I had known two years ago. I would have sent you teary, intruding emails. It was definitely a challenge for me. It’s not as easy as it should be, considering it’s what they’re made for. We worked it out though. Two and a half months later it didn’t hurt at all…. oh well. I still think breastfeeding is pretty amazing 🙂

  52. Hooray for you! Thanks for reminding everyone that breasts are for breastfeeding (all one word) AND I will add: their proper and appropriate use can discourage the formation of cancer within. No one (maybe it’s different in Canada) seems to remember that there are ways to keep breast cancer away.
    Bring on the spam! The more we talk about it, the more normal it will become and eventually, people can say nipple, nipple, breast, breast, breast and think of babies first.
    Also, I’m delighted to see that the sock club is working so well. These are quite lovely. I’ve decided that (as one of those magic loop two at a timers) it is most wise to have a minimum of three sock pairs on needles at a time. This way there is always some mindless knitting available at all times.
    Soap boxes returned to nested location:
    Breastfeeding – check
    Breast Cancer – check
    Breastfeeding is normal – check
    magic loop two at a time – check

  53. Right On Steph! Nipple is not a dirty word. It is a body part. This whole sexualiaztion thing has gone on way to far.

  54. LMAO! Okay first off I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU about the use of the words nipple and breast. They are not dirty words at all-they serve a function and if we didn’t act like they were dirty no one would make such a big fuss. Honestly though, I read today’s post and went back to yesterday’s post and had to read it TWICE before I noticed the word nipple….Yesterday when I read it I just totally did not notice the words breast and nipple in the blog…I mean I read and understood the post, but those words didn’t scream out at me….so then you begin to wonder “what is on the minds of the people” who protested? Now who’s got the dirty minds…I mean I know the blog is Yarn Harlot but seriously I don’t usually equate sex with yarn….what am I missing out on I wonder…some new fetish I never heard of before….LMAO…you made my weekend!

  55. I love you so hard.
    NIPPLE NIPPLE BREAST NIPPLE.
    Also this will be the second time a sock pattern you’ve shown on your blog will call to me to knit it. First it was Sleepy Hollow, now these! *shakes fist*

  56. Are you serious? Thank you, Steph, for standing up for the proper use of such words. And like many have said, breasts and nipples have a beautiful purpose! Nipple nipple nipple breast, indeed!
    I use my best friend Megan’s Wii Fit maybe twice a year. Every time, it asks why I’ve been gone so long, points out that I am even further from reaching my goal, and asks Megan if I look fatter or skinnier. Yikes! I also can’t stand the way it makes that “oooh!” noise when I step on it, as if my weight hurts it. Like you didn’t make me feel fat enough already!!
    The thing is fun, though. 🙂

  57. Love this.
    Also: My wii fit age the first day was 52. I was 38 at the time. I blame not understanding what it was asking me to do in the stupid balance “game”… The next time my wii fit age was 32 so I was happy. 🙂 Enjoy it!

  58. I can’t believe that people who read a blog from such an intelligent, feminist knitter are all uptight about your vocabulary. Who do they think they’re reading?
    I love you just as you are and you’re an incredibly important part of my knitting life (and an entry drug to unsuspecting knitters who aren’t yet on line).

  59. Nipple, nipple, nipple, breast, breast, breast, titty, titty, titty, bum, bum, bum, arse, arse, arse.
    You go girl!

  60. Patiently awaiting the Nipple & Breast sock pattern… Hmm–Nipple & Breast sounds like a British pub. I’ll bet they have killer chips!

  61. Coincidentally, I read this post while nursing my daughter. She’ll be two in August. Shocking, I know. 😉

  62. I was going to say it, in a different form, but it looks like Susan above beat me to it.
    You need to make a pattern for Nipple Socks now!

  63. You rock!
    As for the Wii, I don’t know anyone who’s gotten a decent ‘age’ from the thing — and that includes someone who regularly works out and is in fantastic shape. Told him he was 60-something. He’s most definitely not. Personally, I think Apple’s a part of the ‘make us healthy’ campaign, and those random ages are just to make us work harder to get in shape.

  64. I’m surprised that anyone taking offense to contextual use of nipple and breast even went so far as to visit a blog including ‘Harlot’ in it’s title. I really am.
    You rock my world. Hurray for sane, strong women who are willing to stand up for the awesome abilities of their bodies and not let the advertising industry steal it away from them bit by bit. That people can get upset over the proper names and acknowledgement of anatomy is always stunning to me. Why don’t we get upset talking about the veins and thorns on leaves then, they are just as much facts and reality.

  65. If you already think that 2 nipples are 2 too many for men, how silly was it that my son was born with 2 on each side!! Luckily for him (especially since he is now middle school age), the 2 extra ones (one on each side) shriveled up and fell off within a month or 2 after he was born.

  66. Amen sister!!! Maybe we won’t have so many insecurities if we talked about it a little more!

  67. Add me to the list of people who cannot freaking believe you got email about the words breasts and nipples. (Though I LOVE calling them nibbles, that’s hilarious.) What is WRONG with some people? Hey, I bet they are knitting legwarmers to hide the piano legs, as I was told once that some did during Victorian times. I bet they have trouble with the fact that construction/ electrician types types refer to male and female connectors — yeah, you know, the male ones stick out and get inserted into the female ones. Eek!

  68. Nipple Nipple Nipple Breast indeed! *THAT* is why I love this blog so very much…you are an excellent knitter and a intelligent well-spoken rational woman and an incredible mother.
    Happy Mother’s day to you and your experienced nipples!

  69. Breastfeeding Mom’s everywhere thank you!!! Oh, and the yarn/pattern sock combo is lovely too.

  70. Like you, I have no idea why women should be hung up about a body part meant for feeding our young. If guys are, that’s their problem, not ours! And by the way, a few years ago I read that in some aboriginal cultures, men were able to nurse. There was some explanation as to how the milk started flowing, but apparently it did. Maybe it’s just one of those things – like tonsils – that are still there but no longer needed biologically speaking.

  71. Nipple. Nipple. Breast. Breast
    Nipple. Nipple. Bottle. Bottle.
    Frankly, the second one bothers me more than the first does.
    I’m glad Kiama’s behaving for you. I’m steadfastly ignoring the gauge swatch that lied to me.

  72. I know I’m jumping the comment thread here, but I just wanted to let you know that someone close to me lost a very significant amount of weight thanks to the Wii Fit and the convenience and privacy of one’s living room. So, as far as I’m concerned it is a wonderful self-paced tool for one’s fitness and self-confidence, especially because it’s between you and a computer. Hope it is useful to you as well =)

  73. I can’t believe people got upset about that! As you said, they’re just body parts, and and you weren’t using vulgar names for them.
    People need to lighten up a bit. Nipple nipple nipple nipple breast

  74. That’s right. Seriously, it is so hard to start breastfeeding and learning about it and asking for help when the langauge is considered dirty or inappropriate. I mean, really, talk about tough. I’m glad I trudged through it b/c it was one of the best things I ever did. And now the words aren’t so weird…which I plan to pass along to my own kiddos.
    Once again, say it, sister.

  75. As a former La Leche League leader, I totally agree with you about the breast/nipple thing. Keep preaching, it needs said over and over. By the way? That’s why I now hate Bill Maher; he did a rant on his show once about how breastfeeding shouldn’t be done in public: he thinks breasts are for the benefit of “adult” men and said “men” shouldn’t have to see them used for nursing. I tell you, I’ll never see another show he’s in again because of that.

  76. Purposes of nipples on normal men: temperature gauge? On Batman: fighting crime (think about the movie franchise, the more nipple-to-batsuit ratio, the more crime-fighting power).

  77. Dear Stephanie, I love you. In a platonic, worshipfull, yarny, common sense sort of way. It never even occurred to me that yesterday’s post would be upsetting. Except that the bleeding piece is too short. That’s where I was hyperventilating.

  78. Thanks for the nipple/breast post. We all just need to take a deep breath and relax a bit when it comes to certain words.
    And, don’t get too angry at the Wii Fit. When I first used it, it said I was 64 (I was 28 at the time!), now it averages about 24 for me (so 5 years less than my current age). Besides, if it is cheerfully declaring “That’s overweight!,” let me tell you, it’s a moment of pride when your Mii does a little dance and proclaims “That’s normal!”

  79. Breast? Nipple? Huh? My avatar on Ravelry is me sitting in a tub of yarn and I got indignant comments about it (kleewong), I just told everyone it was yarn porn…

  80. As one who worked years in a nordstrom lingerie department and see her fair share of breasts (all sizes, shapes, and levels of skin elasticity) I can only say that it is the women who feel such shame reading/hearing/speaking about breasts and the nipples attached to them that feel the most shame about their own bodies. Don’t be mad at them. Feel sad for them.

  81. LOL!
    You crack me up!
    Glad the sock club is working. Sometimes a one person club is actually an efficient thing.
    :o)

  82. I breastfed and all, but have to say my favorite use of my nipples is um, sexual and involves another grownup.

  83. I love those socks, the color, the pattern, everything. It’s a shame you’re not knitting them for me!
    I do public education at a wildlife reserve three days/month. Last month, one of my colleagues, a man, told me, “I thought that seal was a male, but now I’m not so sure. I see nipples.” I assured him, “Male seals have nipples. You have nipples. That seal is male.” He wasn’t half as embarrassed as the teenagers who ask me, “What’s that pink thing?” and I answer, “That’s his penis.”
    Sex isn’t dirty unless we make it so.

  84. Yup. Society has a lot to answer for–it’s an absolute shame that so many women aren’t comfortable breastfeeding because breasts have been sexualized to such an extreme. My (rather small) breasts have fed three kids now, all of them into toddlerhood. The third is 18 months old and still going strong. Such an amazing thing that my body can do. So amazing that I will do it whenever and wherever the baby is hungry. Just doing my part to normalize the sight of a breastfeeding pair so that other women (I hope) are less self-conscious about it.

  85. These comments reminded me of a time in an 8th grade English class studing poetry. A boy in the class inquired as to the meaning of the word “bosom” that was in the poem we were reading. Many giggles from the class and a smile from the teacher who responded with the definition “a womans chest”.

  86. Sometimes coming to this blog makes life worth living.
    Thanks.

  87. I was just wondering how your sock club was going (how sad that I’m thinking about your progress and not mine — probably because there is no progress on my end). I love your socks. I also love your closing line.

  88. God I love it when you get on your soapbox! I always agree with you but think I could never have said it half as well. You go girl!!!!!!!!
    nipple, nipple, nipple, breast

  89. Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple Nipple

  90. I recently got a Wii too expressly for exercise when it’s not nice enough to be outside. Wii Fit leaves me very “meh” – I wish I’d had a chance to try it first because I wouldn’t have spent the money there. My recommendations for EXERCISING with the wii come down to DANCING and WALKING. I get really great workouts with Dance Dance Revolution 3 and my favorite – Walk it Out. WIO has a huge fan following among the…uh…ok, we’re not middle-aged, we’re lively mature, or something like that, right? Ignore the stupid cover on WIO – it’s great. Thing is, you need a dance pad to really do WIO so it’s nice to buy the DDR (dancing) bundle and then get WIO too. With walk it out you walk in place which sounds tres boring, but you are actually accumulating steps as you walk around an island and you can spend your points to buy things – businesses, buildings, plants, bridges, constellations, more songs (trust me, you want more songs really bad! buy those first 😉 It cuts into my knitting time, but I’ve lost over 40 pounds this year from a combo of diet changes and the Wii for exercise! (which just means I’ll live longer to knit my stash is how I figure it)

  91. You’ve made me laugh again – thanks for that.
    Regarding your post –
    – Hooray for the short rows. (I’ve got my fingers crossed for a happy conclusion)
    – Love the socks. Nice pattern and color combo.
    – Right On! Breasts are for babies. It’s their purpose and why we have them in the first place!
    🙂

  92. Well put! My almost-two-year-old just learned the word nipple (in the context of pointing to daddy’s bare chest and saying, “milks?”), and he loves it…so we’re hearing it A LOT around our house these days!

  93. titty bum, titty bum, titty bum bum bum!
    whatsa matter, pearlclutchers? don’t like the words nipple and breast? screw you! 😉

  94. Don’t take the first few Wii Fit ages too seriously – they’re based off your results on the balance tests, and there is a small learning curve.
    Also – nipple nipple nipple.

  95. Loved your comment and the socks. Stick with the wii fit – I have dumped 40 lbs in 5 months using it. It does get more advanced with use.
    Happy Mother’s Day to all moms.

  96. …Now if we can just get over the fact that a mother feeding her baby in public is making all our lives calmer and quieter rather than having some kind of crazy public sexytime…

  97. I read the whole nipple paragraph to my son Noah, and he thought it was funny and clever, and is astounded that you get weird mail about words like that. He’s 15 and is obviously more enlightened than some people in the world, which makes me very happy, and kind of sad for those people (and wishing they couldn’t vote, actually).
    We have an older Wii Fit thing with a platform, and it messed up my back to try to balance on it. I hear the newer pads are better. You might also want to try Wii Rayman Ravin’ Rabbids – it’s not great exercise, but it definitely gets your heart racing.

  98. I get so angry when people tell me that my using the words “breasts” “nipple” and even the occasional “penis” is wrong, immoral, dirty, or whatever. I think that it’s ridiculous to have to refer to these normal body parts as something other than their given, medical term. Doesn’t make sense, and frankly, is stupid. Good for you for standing up for all of us. We appreciate it, and are right behind you. Gorgeous socks… lovely combination. I”m working on socks for the husby in the same yarn, but the harmony woods colorway… hope you are enjoying it as much as I am!

  99. The 13 pounds of starving humanity attached to my left nipple would salute you if she weren’t so busy. Here, here!
    And props too to any woman who’s ever helped another find her way through the sometimes painful and frustrating world of breastfeeding. Bless you!!

  100. Hooray for open discussions about nipples and breasts…upright or descending! It is not so bad being 49…or 57 almost 58, for that matter!

  101. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for using correct anatomical names.
    It’s a curious thing to observe acquaintances who are comfortable asking for a breast when ordering chicken but uncomfortable naming that part of their own anatomy.

  102. Thank you for saying that. I nursed each of my daughters for almost 2 years back in the mid 70’s; this embarrassed my former sister in law so much that she had a s**t fit whenever I fed my baby because “she didn’t want to have to explain that” to her 5 year old & 1 year old. She was so peculiar on the subject that she wouldn’t use Playtex nursers because they looked too much like breasts. You can imagine her response a couple of years later when that first baby was 2 & we all went to a nature preserve when we were visiting them (fortunately they lived almost 1,000 miles away) & she was so delighted with seeing the baby bisons nursing that she jumped up & down & yelled so everyone could hear about the babies nursing just like she did!

  103. I work in the kids department of a bookstore and can’t believe that parents are so uncomfortable asking if a book contains sex. I mean they had to have sex to have the kid to begin with and they are always surprised when I warn them that our teen section contains books with sex and drugs.
    The fact that we can’t comfortably talk about sex, breasts, penises, or nipples is the root of many problems. If everyone could talk about it openly we wound’t have abstinence only sex ed that has been proven not to work.

  104. Hmmm…I always miss the good stuff! Either that or my brain was so fried from administering AP exams at the high school that I completely overlooked this. Or maybe I haven’t gotten to it in google reader.
    Anyhoo, I wanted to say that I am LOVING your socks! I think I’ve either made this pattern or have it in my queue.
    Lovely choice of yarn and pattern! Of course, you are the Yarn Harlot. One would expect nothing less!

  105. My four girls [now 30 through 42] called them “nibbles”, and I let them…because they did.

  106. Thank you Stephanie. I wish sex wasn’t such a prevelant part of society. I nursed all 4 of my children and the looks and whispers I got was ridiculous. So please keep on telling it like it is. O and I love the socks they look great! Think how wonderful it is going to be to have almost 2 weeks of handmade socks in the drawer to wear when it is cold out.

  107. I love this post (as I do all of your posts). Me and my working class breasts thank you.
    My favourite is when my young kids refer to them as “nibbles” – appropriate enough for these breastfed little ones!
    (Beautiful socks, too!)

  108. It was probably a man who decided that the words “Nipple” and “Breast” were to be considered dirty or naughty. And he probably decided that was so because he was secretly jealous that he was not able to breastfeed his newborn baby and thus denied the unique bond between mother and child. IMHO….
    Love the socks. Pretty colors.

  109. Thanks for that. I get SO tired of breasts being co-opted by those who don’t have them.

  110. I’ve suggested to my husband that if mine are for feeding the baby then his are clearly to be used as pacifiers. He didn’t go for it.

  111. In this day and age!!! Who’d a thunk it? Keep on knitting socks. It helps circumvent the weirdos.

  112. You crack me up!
    One of the parts I sell at work is called a nipple.
    A pipe nipple mind you, but when I get a guy on the phone who tells me he wants 4 qty of a 3/8″ nipple and he laughs/giggles…I just roll my eyes. Nothing funny about it! In my mind I see a brass fitting with treads on both ends!
    I’d hate to see it if we had pipe fitting parts named breasts!

  113. And it’s a real burn that “nipple” on a bottle is okay.
    Nipples on breasts, though, that’s shocking. Back to breastfeeding the baby!

  114. I nursed both of my sons in 1973 and 1976. Biggest help came from my father-in-law. He was one of 8 children – his comment to my mother-in-law was “How did she think his mother had feed the babies in the sod hut in Eastern Montana?” He told me to “Sit down, relax and drink a large glass of water.” Good advice from a man who had milch cows!

  115. Don’t let the bastards get you down. My Dad taught me that at a young age, and in Latin…and he said it often. Amen, sistah!

  116. Can I add that, as a nurse I would like to hear girls (and women, for that matter) correctly using the terms vulva and vagina. (Generally speaking, the parts you see are the vulva.)

  117. Nipple? Isn’t that also used to describe non-sexual things? Like the points to oil machinery or the part of a bottle the liquid comes out? I can’t believe you got flak for it! I have two, thank you, and they are well used! 🙂

  118. Laughing hysterically about the “trying to attach seven pounds of starving humanity to it”! I have tiny little breasts and both my boys popped out the womb, latched on, and sucked like champs for the next year, only occasionally stopping for a breath of air. My poor, large-busted best friend, though, had no end of trouble trying to figure it out. Her sixty year old husband was horrified that she would pull out her breasts in public, even covered with a drape, to feed the baby. Dummy.
    Oh, and EVERYBODY is 49 in WiiFit age. My 12-year-old son is 49. Don’t take it to heart. (And try the hula hooping for a good cardio workout.)

  119. i would be nursing, except that i’m at work and so am pumping. if one has a problem with nipples then s/he should see them after pumping. hmm-hmmm. get over it.

  120. I have a friend writing her dissertation on breastfeeding and the La Leche League in the 1950s. She is especially interested in the mental discordance people have between the sexual image of the breast with the maternal image. I will let you know about the book when it comes out, but I’ll be sure to tell her about people’s objections to your simple word usage. I’m sure she’ll be super interested.
    Sam

  121. You are hilarious. As a mom who nursed three boys, each for at least 2 years, I heartily agree!

  122. Thank you for your, as always, eloquent, funny, and common sense approach to life! Nipples are just that, nipples. Same with breasts.

  123. I am both disgusted and appalled by your blatant and shameless use of the word “elbow” in paragraph five of today’s post! There is no reason at all why you could not refer to that body part as the ‘arm bend’ (as it is often done in polite society) or, even more appropriately given the largely feminine readership of your blog and out of respect for their more delicate sensibilities, the more refined term ‘mid-arm-area’, if indeed, you need to refer to it at all.
    Will nobody think of the children?

  124. Just….well just *Facepalm*
    What is wrong with some people? Do they surf the web JUST to find random things to be offended by?
    Love the socks and can’t wait to see the final sweater!

  125. I used to leave my fertility awareness book out on the coffee table. It’s not only a great book, but it makes for great conversation when guys pick it up and start flipping through it. Except for that time a friend brought this guy she liked over to our place for dinner and another friend dropped by, picked up the book, and found the section with the colour pictures of cervical mucus and started showing the pictures to everyone. I think that’s a little more controversial than “nipple” for some people.

  126. Seriously? You got guff for saying nipple and breast?? Some people need to grow up. You used them as landmarks, very accurately too. Because when you’d got done I know I wouldn’t want my sweater fitting like that. I have to say that my breasts and nipples served me well in nursing two kids. Oy, so long ago…

  127. I love you, Steph! Thanks for the laugh and the smile!
    Love,
    A Mom who has been either pregnant or nursing her 2 darlings for 5.5 years and counting…

  128. oh Stephanie
    it boggles my mind what some people will do…
    love the socks!

  129. Your blog is a gift I give myself. Thank you so very much for the opportunity to actually laugh so hard I spit on my monitor.

  130. I got a Wii Fit this week myself, and it told me I’m 37. I’m 23. Today it told me I was 31. I’m really starting to suspect that its more psychological than anything else…some type of strategy to A) make you realize you need to work out, and B) Make you think that the money you invested in the product is going to good use.
    I can see why some people would get worked up about “nipple” and “breast.” But some people get worked up over nothing all the time…

  131. Really? “Nipple” gets you more spam mail than “harlot”? And people are surprised that the yarn harlot discussed breasts on her blog? I mean, you’ve done this before. They *are* a force to be reckoned with while knitting a sweater- at least, mine are.

  132. As the proud owner of two functional and decorative mammary glands:
    BREAST!
    also, NIPPLE!
    and furthermore (yes, I tend to whip ’em out too 🙂
    BOOBS
    I hope my ex-nursling, who is sitting next to me on the couch playing her ds as we speak does not look over at the screen or she will think mom is weird…well, weirder than usual.
    Up with breasts!
    Free the Cleveland two!
    🙂
    ES

  133. Oooooh, I laughed out loud when I read your post. Does anyone remember that episode of Friends when the gang found out that Chandler had a “nubbin” (third nipple)???
    Nipple nipple breast. Peace.

  134. Love the socks! Still hoping to finish a my first pair someday.
    And I love love love the nipple rant. Especially the “7 lbs of starving humanity” part. So true! And I just happen to be nursing my squirmy toddler while reading this. Thanks for the laugh.

  135. O.K. here goes with my 2 cents worth….Do primates engage in fondling BREASTS in a sexual way ? they do however feed their young with breasts with nipples, so which is more “natural”?
    Breasts and sex is nice and normal, but why make feeding the “weird” activity.Ignorance rampant.
    In Victorian times you didn’t even say leg you said limb and it was very “fast” to show your ankles at all.
    My Grandmother ( normal intelligence, good family etc.) was born in 1890 and had her first child at 16, in the delivery room she asked how the baby was getting out and the nurse replied “as the letter was posted so it shall be delivered” sounds like we still have a way to go making body parts language “acceptable” and normal.

  136. LOVE. And totally agree. My breasts have very nicely fed five little human beings, including a set of twins two-at-a-time. Hooray for nipples.

  137. As to the other 50%’s nipples, Robert Heinlein said the break up the blankness of the male chest. (and if you really want to use them, men can, eventually breast feed with them! We had a video at the ILCA conference in 2008)

  138. :o) nipple, nipple, nipple, breast, indeed . . . they were put there for a purpose other than sex appeal, believe it or not!

  139. If you are looking for more of a workout than the Wii Fit you might want to try the EA Active. It actually keeps track of your calories burned, and you can customize your workout for more strength or endurance. The Fit and Fit Plus in our house is more of a toy for the family or my daughter when we are looking for fun than happens to be active.

  140. *sigh* nipples, breasts, ankles, elbows,… They are all functional, but can be sexual, too! Human beings have strange and wonderful bodies. It’s sad that certain parts are reduced to only one aspect. Breasts and nipples can be functional AND fun. 8^)

  141. Be very, very careful w/those socks. You just said OUT LOUD that the sock club is working well. Whatever were you thinking!? Great looking sock, though.

  142. Whoo Hoo for you about the nipple/breast thing. I am still breastfeeding my son, (he is one) and I feel so happy that I am doing that for him instead of giving him food that some scientist thought was a decent duplicate. Hurray for our design! Great Socks- I wish I was a faster knitter- I’m making a pair of socks for my hubby and I am not sure I can get anything else done this month.

  143. Forgot to add that the Wii figures out your age not only in your fitness level, but in your balance, reflexes, and weight. I am 28. I can score a 23 on a good day, but if my body control is off I will score lower thirties.

  144. Forgot to add that the Wii figures out your age not only in your fitness level, but in your balance, reflexes, and weight. I am 28. I can score a 23 on a good day, but if my body control is off I will score lower thirties. Keep at it and as your reflexes and cordination imporve the “age” will drop.

  145. Well — you got me to read yesterday’s post twice. I knew the Kiama wasn’t fitting right, but I didn’t remember that it was because those dreaded body parts were mentioned 🙂 And, amen, to Bethany! Most of our body parts do lots of amazing things — a lot of them fun, a lot of them functional!

  146. Wait…what? I’m 21 so I’m part of that youth their talking about and I didn’t even blink when you said nipple in your last post. This reminds me of the time I did a project on Buddhism in junior high. I had drawn a picture of a Buddha statue for my presentation and they made me erase his nipples.

  147. We have a saying in Scotland that would have been my answer to the breast and nipple protesters
    “Away and bile yer heid”
    It literally means “Go and boil your head”, but really… It means “Just go away and leave me alone you idiot”

  148. I relly like the Wii game My Fitness Coach for a decent workout at home. The Wii Fit is cute and all, but as far as a workout goes it’s pretty lame.

  149. Hi Stephanie,
    Just read these 2 posts together.
    I absolutely agree with you, (knowing 2 age 30ish mums who felt awkward & uncomfortable about breastfeeding.)
    Sometime around 1970 I learnt, from my dressmaker mother, that ‘bust points’ differ from woman to woman.
    They may be higher or lower, more central or more to-the-sides. Each & every woman’s body is her own best model, and so garments are adjusted to suit.
    Congratulations on your innovative adjustment strategy! I look forward to the pics when Kiama is completed.
    And Happy Mum’s Day for Sunday (in Australia) 😀

  150. One of the great moments in “The History of Painting” with Carmelite nun Sister Wendy Beckett is where she’s explicating an Egyptian wall painting of professional mourners and says “You can tell this is the chief mourner because her bweasts point down — all the others have these little apples.” Think of it every time I see that painting.

  151. Until you mentioned it again today, I didn’t realized you had used the word nipple or breast yesterday.
    Also, FYI, I hear that Wii Sports can give you a better workout than Wii Fit — and I’m guessing it doesn’t give you snarky comments — or overguess your age. 😉

  152. My 7 month old totally agrees with the statement “Nipple Nipple Nipple Breast”. I was planning on breastfeeding anyway, but she is allergic to almost all brands and types of formula including most of the “hypoallergenic” types so it is a good thing I am. However, I hate that when I am out I always have to decide between hiding and possibly offending someone any time she gets hungry. I generally risk offending others in the hope of normalizing the act and it is wonderful to see that I am not alone.
    Also, I love your socks, they are so happy and colorful. I have not been so good with my self-imposed sock club, but it is inspiring to see yours working so well.
    Thank you!

  153. I really don’t get it–what’s the big deal about breasts and nipples?
    On the other hand, I have a sister-in-law who won’t even say “toilet.” Honest!

  154. “it would have helped if the word nipple wasn’t coming up for the first time when we were trying to attach 7 pounds of starving humanity to it. ”
    I’ve currently got 18 pounds of starving humanity attached and I just laughed so hard, I startled him and he popped off. He’s been a big fan of the nipples since he was born 6 months ago and I hope he grows up knowing body parts are just that – body parts.
    I love your wit!

  155. My 5 year old told me the other day the she “likes my droopy boobies”. From the mouths of babes. But It was the best complement I’d had in years, possibly ever. I looked at her and in all seriousness told her I like them too.

  156. Furthermore, “nipple” (like arm and elbow and bladder and leg and neck and hand and head) is such a useful word that we had to use it for more than just bodies! There are nipples in plumbing, bladders in hydration packs, legs on stools…

  157. My nursing 2.5 year old calls them “nurses”!
    I love the socks- I started that pattern (toe-up) on Tuesday. It’s so cool, can’t wait to wear them!

  158. Good for you Steph! I so appreciate your common sense, clear voice and solid grounding.

  159. I never comment, but I have to say, way to go with the whole nipple/breast/nursing remarks. I get so SICK of everyone getting all giggly and weird about nursing. Hello people! It’s got nothing to do with sex, except as a way to nourish the results! Honestly. But, you did a great job expressing what I’ve been feeling, so I’ll just leave it there. On behalf of myself, and all the women out there who would like to be able to nurse in public without being accused of being titillating, Thank-You!

  160. Haha! I didn’t even notice that you used those words. The only time I feel slightly awkward about the terms is if they come up in conversation with a mixed-gender crowd, but really it’s the same awkwardness that would come if someone mentioned well, words I don’t want to say here because you might not want that sort of spam.
    Also, I was about 31 when we got our Wii Fit. My original fitness age was 73. Hope that helps you feel better.

  161. I’m 49. My wii fit gave me a wii fit age of 67. that sucked….but remember it’s just a stupid machine. that aside…you can skip all that age crap and go right to the workout…that’s what i did and absolutely love it.

  162. Let’s hear it for lactation consultants! Thank you, Steph, for your continuing advocacy. 🙂

  163. Well, I’m an OB nurse and have not only breastfed my three children, but often, as part of my job, I am helping new moms with getting the whole breastfeeding thing going.
    I’ve always had this wonderful, open, and totally cool relationship with my youngest daughter (well except for the teen years of hell). She just had my first grandchild 2 wks ago (and it was completely awesome that she wanted me there to help coach her) and is nursing her baby beautifully.
    We had casually discussed her nipples/breasts and how great they looked for baby feeding early in her pregnancy when she had to buy a larger bra for her already expanding bust. Throughout her pregnancy, she enjoyed the changes in her body that she experienced and felt confident in her ability to deliver naturally and breastfeed.
    Even the LC who came to see her in the hospital was impressed with how experienced she seemed, even though it was her first child. I can’t help but think that the willingness to talk about things like breasts and nipples like they are just useful parts of our bodies helped her to feel so comfortable with the whole process. I wish that all young women could get that comfortable with that part of themselves that has been so abnormally sexualized that they can’t imagine themselves feeding their child as nature intended.

  164. When my daughter was about 18 months old or so she asked about her nipples and we told her they were called nipples. Later, while riding in a cart through the grocery store she’s asking me and everyone else to show her their nipples.

  165. p.s. When I read today’s blog I thought to myself “I missed a post about nipples and breasts? Let me read it!” I went back only to find that it was the posting about your sweater fitting which I had already read and had not even noticed the references!

  166. I think nipples are nature’s cruel way of reminding me how old and fat I’m getting. The harder they are to find, the worse off I am. I remember when I could look down and see them looking back at me. *sigh*

  167. Diane at 4:46 pm: I once read a first-person account of being in a girls’ school (in the 20th century) where baths were taken wearing a heavy denim-weight dress, through which she was supposed to wash, while being supervised. Bathing was actively discouraged but the student’s parents had arranged special permission for her to wash.
    A book more people should read:
    _Eve’s Secrets_ by Beverly Lowndes Sevely.

  168. I was pulling apart two blankets that were all static-ee and shocked my nipple. After your nipple post I thought I’d share. Thank goodness I’m not nursing yet, that would have stunk.

  169. Hahaha! Love it! As a public health nurse and mom of 3, not to mention just a strong and empowered women, I love your enthusiasm about nipples and breasts! Way to advocate about bodies, yarn, and socks! Thanks. Liz

  170. Chickens have breasts, too. Nobody makes a fuss about that.
    You go, girl.

  171. Thank you. Body-positive and sex-positive sensible thinking is so refreshing to hear.
    Also, I like those socks.

  172. As a woman that is nursing her 3 week old son while reading this, THANK YOU!!! More women need to hear that.

  173. Okay, after reading that, I think we need a rousing game of Duck Duck Goose, except … Nipple Nipple Breast. First person to crack up laughing has to buy the beer.
    Also, Mountain Colors Bearfoot is SO YUMMY. I wish I had some right now. Enjoy make those socks! They look fantastic.

  174. Not only are you one of my knitting heroes, you’re a breastfeeding hero as well. (and still proudly nursing my 21-month-old!)
    PS — NIPPLES! 😀

  175. I didn’t even notice you said nipples. My 5-year-old Susie announced to me the other day that her nipples were growing. “No, Sweetie,” I told her, “not until you’re 12 or so.” “Okay,” she said. “But I can feel some bumps.”
    Maybe you should sponsor a “Use the word ‘nipples'” Day for bloggers?

  176. And why is it that words for bits of anatomy that are associated with women are somehow so much worse than those associated with men? As a linguist and a feminist, I take exception to that fact (and teach about it, to boot).

  177. It might be my medical training, but I would NEVER consider nipple, breast, vagina or any other anatomic word to be inappropriate! Stephanie, thanks for always making me laugh. I wish there was a way for you to filter out the stupid people! Have a wonderful mother’s day.

  178. P.S. I, too, had no idea you even said breast or nipple and had to reread the last post to see what you were referring to….. SOME PEOPLE!

  179. Hear hear! Love your post. You’re so totally right about nipples and breasts. Breastfeeding is such an awesome thing – how great it is that we can nourish, both body and soul. So sad to think that so many women get talked out of it and feel so awkward about it that they don’t have the courage to stick with it. thanks for the laughs and the great insight.

  180. I like the phrase “working class breasts.” Mine fed four babies and they show it. (I have scars from cracked nipples. Scars!!) Nothing about my body looks like it did when I was twenty and I’m fine with that. We’ve accomplished some things, my body and I. I was a La Leche League leader for years and loved being a part of women’s journeys. Yay for the nipples and breasts!

  181. “Nipple Nipple Nipple Breast.”
    When I read this, I had a vision of a bunch of preschool kids playing “Nipple Nipple Breast” instead of “Duck Duck Goose.” Think it will catch on?

  182. I can remember–and I’m only 51–when cancer was actually almost a forbidden word in polite company and the diagnosis a hidden thing not to be talked about openly–sometimes not even to the patient. And if it were breast cancer! One did not SAY that word in public!
    So yeah, we’ve come a long way and we’ve still got a long way to go.

  183. And maybe, just maybe, if we get people past thinking the words are dirty, we will get them past thinking the act of nourishing our children is something to be shamed by. I love nursing my daughter in public, without a blanket covering us, not because I hope to make someone uncomfortable, but because I really wish to educate the world.
    Thank you Stephanie.

  184. The funny thing is, I had to go back and re-read yesterday’s post because I couldn’t remember you mentioning breasts and nipples. And I mean that in a good way… I didn’t really notice that you used those words because you were using them in such a benign way. People are silly sometimes.

  185. Re: your Wii-fit age of 49: The only problem here is that you cop to being younger than that. Isn’t that ageism? Go around telling everybody you’re 55 and have a Wii-fit age of 49. They’ll be sooo impressed.
    Re: the nipple thing: Hilarious story for our age: I work with a young thing (mid-20s) who wears jeans that only rise to half-way down her butt crack. She is fine with that. The thing that freaks her out??? Jeans that come all the way up to her waist. She is embarrassed by the overweening sexuality of having a defined waist. Lesson learned: every generation is embarrassed by obvious sexuality but every generation has a different set of criteria.

  186. You. Are. Awesome.
    When pregnant with my son (now 3), I remember being shocked and saddened while reading mom-to-be message boards. It seemed so many of the young (mostly 21 and younger, it seemed) pregnant women had the attitude of, “Ewww, I’m never breastfeeding! My boobs are for my boyfriend, not my baby!” I just wanted to scream to them, “Why do you think you even HAVE them???”
    I admit to getting sometimes embarrassed when talking to my son about his anatomy, but I always (strive to) use the correct terminology.
    And to that end: areole! nipple! breast! penis! vulva!

  187. I guess it’s partly because of my profession, but I have to admit, I read your last post and never ever even skipped a beat. Not that I’d have any nipple/breast issues myself in the least. Obviously. But sometimes my radar is up as to the general public’s sensibilities. And yesterday’s post didn’t trigger it.
    Of course, the conversations in my house are pretty far-ranging sometimes…
    I can’t wait to see Kiama when it is no longer a nipple-length crop top!

  188. Glad you and the (formerly?) offended reader were able to work things out. There is actually a public service campaign happening where I live- with billboards promoting breastfeeding. I haven’t heard of anyone driving off the road as a result of seeing the word breast in 2 foot letters. For me, it was probably the most rewarding part of motherhood.
    I’ve been enjoying your personal sock club – this pattern is my favorite so far. There may be a club in my future too.

  189. Yes. I feel so strongly about this that I kind of have to clamp my lips together at times because I could go on and on… and on about it.
    About how sick a society has to be to insist that women surgically modify their breasts to outlandish proportions in order to be considered sexy and beautiful (or even adequate, in some circles), but dissolve into morally outraged conniptions over a glimpse of the bit that actually feeds the baby. (Also the bizarre fear that a toddler would be psychologically damaged by the sight of a nipple, which ideally he/she ought to have been suckling since birth.)
    About the suffering inflicted on so many mothers and infants by this twisted pseudo-morality.
    About the whole point of being a mammal.
    About the time I spent in Lesotho, where there were considerable taboos against showing off the thighs (being near to the baby-making bits, which one would presumably wish to use judiciously), but necklines were halfway to the waist and breasts were hanging out everywhere, because they are functional and require frequent access.
    About…. shutting up now.
    Thanks for saying nipple. And breast.

  190. Count me among those who didn’t even notice you said nipples, though “working class breasts” was the genius bit I focused upon and adopted as fitting description for self. Keep being you, Stephanie. 🙂

  191. nipple nipple nipple nipple breast!
    If there was any logic in this world, it would be MEN’S nipples that were hidden away. Why? Because a woman’s nipple is still a functional body part. A man’s nipple is just there for decoration though it can be ahem, entertaining for both parties under the right circumstances. So it seems that we ought make men cover them up and let women bare ’em to the world! (No, I don’t really want to force men to submit to all these stupid “rules” that society demands, I’m just pointing out how illogical it all is. I’m not afraid of OR freaked out by anyone’s nipples.)

  192. I returned a glass milk bottle at a local convenience store carrying my then-6-month-old daughter; someone said she could see my baby was a [convenience store name]’s milk baby. I laughed and said no, she was a mama’s milk baby and the whole store went into a shocked silence. And everyone there at the time was female! Now this was 37 years ago, but still!

  193. Loved your post, Steph. Rock on! I was a La Leche League leader in the 1970s and breastfed both of my children until age three. One of my more memorable nursing-in-public incidents occurred at a buffet dinner party. As usual, I had worn a loose, drapey top for discreet feeding. I was hungry and so was my daughter, so before getting into the long buffet line, I turned aside and let her latch on, then draped my top artistically over her. Then I got back in line. The woman next to me struck up a conversation, asked how old the baby was, etc., and then said “Oh, let me hold her!” I said perhaps later, but she asked again and started to reach for the baby. I had to tell her I was nursing! She looked shocked, and then suddenly found someone else to talk to.
    Nipple nipple nipple breast. How about a t-shirt?

  194. I love you. You knew that, though.
    I used to teach kids to knit at a city community center. Some kids came from homes where proper anatomical words were used as a matter of fact, some didn’t know those words.
    One day we had a boy/girl mixed group. Someone was discussing clothing her doll (with knitting) and used the word breast. A boy asked what that was.
    She showed him where the breasts were on the doll. I told them that both boys and girls have breasts, it’s a normal body part on us all. And then we went on to clothing the doll again.
    I never had a child myself, but my mom was determined to breastfeed me in the late 50’s when it was NOT COOL. She had to look hard for a doctor who would support the idea, in a large Midwestern city. Go figure.

  195. Yes! Nipple nipple nipple breast! Breastfeeding was for me the only thing I’ve done in my life that I love as much as knitting. Knitting and breastfeeding are equally relaxing and I only wish it had been easier to knit and breast feed simultaneously! Reading book after book after book rocked too. Thanks Stephanie for your post.

  196. Greetings:
    I am an older woman, with older nipples!!! LOL…I nursed my children for 2 years+ each. Which means that my nipples worked on demand for 6+years. Now my daughters are nursing their young as well. A most natural thing to do! Mother used to call me “the dairy queen”. One daughter is very modern and free, the other is very proper and demure. The word “butt” is not in her vocabulary, but “bottom” is or “please sit on your pockets”…lolol But I noticed that the word “nipple” is an appropriate word in her home.

  197. I love that you support the use of normal biological words!
    My 1 1/2 year old daughter doesn’t ask to nurse, either at home or in public. She asks, usually loudly, “Nipple, please?” And then, “Other nipple, mama?” All three of my kids are fully aware of the words nipple and breast, and use them to talk about nursing mamas. Isn’t that the primary reason behind their existence?

  198. I come here for the knitting, but I stay for the righteousness of nipples.

  199. I’m a fan of desensitizing people to the anatomical words when they’re appropriate — as you’ve always been, in my opinion. Though for the sake of hilarity (I work at a hospital), I have been known to tell patients that the catheter will go in their “hoo-ha” and that the enema is going in their tuchus and up the poop chute. But that’s more that I have a weird sense of humor and less that I have a problem with “vagina” and “rectum.”

  200. I can’t believe that, in this day and age, that anyone would be sensitive of the use of ‘nipple’ and ‘breast’ especially here when the Newspapers still have page 3 and topless sun worshippers on most beaches!
    I love my Wii fit+ it’s hilarious – I can’t juggle for toffee, mainly because I am laughing so hard.
    Those socks are made of awesome.

  201. My girls (5 and 2) call the whole thing nipples, breast and all. My two year old gets a kick out of poking mine and watching them bounce back (which after all that breastfeeding, I kind of get a kick out of it, too).
    I am always surprised when you say people have gotten all over you about something or other. I realize that many of these things are touchy subjects for some and it may make them feel uncomfortable, but to write you and act like you should change to cater to their comfort is ridiculous. If they don’t like it, no one is forcing them to read it. Seriously!
    And I wish we could all be more open about our bodies. I believe that teenagers would have less problems with sex and getting pregnant too soon and all of that if they weren’t made to feel so awkward about it. The more close-lipped and strict parents are about what is appropriate, the more curious kids get and then they get into trouble.
    I plan on always using the correct terminology with my girls and I hope that they grow up knowing that sex and breastfeeding and words like nipple and penis and all of them are perfectly normal.
    Sorry, touchy subject for me. I’ll get off my soapbox now. 🙂

  202. Well, I for one, laughed my butt off at your post yesterday; use of the word nipple and all.

  203. yep. XX for girls and XY for boys. The X chromosome comes with nipples. Nothing we can do about it.

  204. I think that is so funny, especially as they weren’t bothered about the word ‘arse’!!!! You keep saying whatever you want and we’ll keep enjoying it.

  205. Hey! You were just on TV in New Zealand. (Graham Norton and Kinnearing. Might be old.)

  206. I bet the people who emailed you about using the words breast and nipple are the same ones who had a fit when I taught my son that the nifty things hanging between his legs are his penis and testicles! I was amazed at some of the reactions to that. I was even asked why I would teach him “those words”. I promptly told the person who asked “Well I taught him those words because those are the proper names for those body parts! You wouldn’t tell your children that their eyes are really called Peepers would you?” I knew that my son would always have the opportunity to learn the slang, but I really didn’t want him to be a teenager before he learned the proper names for his body parts, especially ones that most guys feel are really important LOL! Way to go Steph!!! Great socks too!

  207. Limenviolet ended their podcast with a song: nipplenipplenipple…..
    I thought it was really funny. I have no idea who sang it.
    janet

  208. Nipple Nipple Nipple Breast! Honestly, what is wrong with talking about actual body parts?

  209. Count me among the people who had to go back and read the original post to catch the nipple and breast reference. Probably because I was laughing so hard over the “double-wide tent rather crookedly over a watermelon patch” comment. My three daughters (all breast feeding mamas) have taught their children the correct words for their body parts and the other grandmas are horrified.

  210. I have a love/hate relationship with my Wii fit. I want to throw the remote through the television when it chirps, “Overweight,” at me in it’s cutesy little voice. Ditto when it told me that a good weight for me might be 129 lbs. Yeah, the only way this body will ever see 129 again is if I suddenly take up running marathons or become gravely ill.
    Nipple!

  211. You know, I already loved you for your knitting, but now I love you for your philosophy on nipples too. And that is a sentence I never thought I would utter.

  212. That was the funniest blog I have read for ages.
    My working class boobs point south these days, but they were definitely used for the proper purpose. three nipples and one breast – that gave me the weirdest mental images!
    And Sarah (at 5.13) kia kaha nga titties o te whenua! Right on.

  213. HI! I was thinking about getting Wii Fit. At 59, there is no telling how old it will make me. It will probably shut off and tell me to forget it :>)
    There are some pretty up tight people in this world.

  214. Happy Mother’s Day from one with “working class” breasts to another! You are awesome!

  215. OMG!!! Some people need to get a grip (on a nipple??)
    I LOVED your comment about “working class breast”
    I got em too!

  216. Don’t worry, your Wii Fit age will probably be 25 tomorrow. Mine fluctuates greatly. And it is superfun to ski jump and have a snowball fit.

  217. Your “Very Harlot Poncho” would be most practical for a breast feeding mom.
    The Wii Fit age is just the geeks trying to tweek you. It comes down fast.

  218. Darn. I always miss my chance to be offended. I did read the nipple/breast post, and it didn’t occur to me that anyone could be one iota bothered.

  219. lovelovelove your nipple response. Still don’t understand why people get so worked up about the proper names for body parts. Do you have that many pre-teen readers? I thought the only reason to avoid words like “nipple” was to “protect the children!”

  220. I am exceedingly proud of my breasts! Not because they are the best LOOKING thing on my body (after nursing twins for 13 months, they sure aren’t!), but because they are the best FUNCTIONING thing on my body, reproductively-speaking. I had to do multiple rounds of IUI to have my kids and I was worried I would have difficulty breastfeeding too, but no. I was a cow – and damn proud of it! Way to go, Breasts! And hail to your little helper friend, Nipple!
    Nipple nipple nipple BREAST!

  221. Yea!!! Well said. Keep telling it like it is. Your knitting and your common sense about other things are awesome.
    salam wa sa’aadah Linda

  222. Hello as a new(er) fan I want to thank you, sincerely, for posting about the problems you have honestly and then letting us know the ingenius solutions you use to fix the problem. It’s enormously encouraging as I just discovered I knit “wrong” I’m self taught and misread a diagram so I knit through the back of the stitch. Also: Nipple, Breast, Nipple!

  223. As a mother I can firmly say that nipples are not dirty in the least. And I hate that our culture wants our breasts to be only a sexual thing and ignore their purpose! No wonder so many moms refuse to breast feed (ignoring the countless benefits to their children and themselves) to preserve the youthfulness of their breasts. I just want to smack them and tell them to grow up!
    BTW. I love the sock! I have the perfect yarn for it!

  224. Love your home made sock “club”! So much so I may have to try it myself. This pair the yarn and pattern match so very well!
    Also as someone who considers herself fairly experienced in the breastfeeding dept. (6 years/2 kids) I totally wasn’t expecting the uproar over the words nipples and breasts. I really don’t see what the big deal is…
    nipple nipple nipple

  225. FWIW, men CAN lactate and feed from their nipples when necessary. There was one recent story of a man in south east asia who, recently widowed, put his older baby to his breast because he didn’t know what else to do for her when she wouldn’t stop screaming. To his utter astonishment, the baby latched on and milk began flowing! Lactation is more a function of the pituitary gland than of the breast, so anyone with a pituitary gland can feed a baby. My guess is that’s why mother nature keeps nipples around for everyone. Built-in redundancies and all that.
    Also, the sock looks great. 🙂

  226. I read the other day that the new documentary “Babies” is rated PG and that “breast feeding” is listed in the content description, as if that is the reason, or one of them, for the PG rating. Are you kidding me? People can be so truly ridiculous sometimes.

  227. Attagirl! I just can’t believe that people would complain. Boy do they have problems…..
    The socks are just divine!!! I’m just about ready to start a new pair too – seems a little crazy knitting winter socks when we’re going into summer, but hey. what the heck!
    Happy knitting – and keep saying those dirty words on your blog!!!!

  228. As a new mom of a 5 month old, nipples and breasts have become front and center to making life happy at home. I am so refreshed when I hear a supporter!

  229. Ahem to that sisiter!! I breastfed my little girl (and my mom breastfed me). I can’t believe that people would complain (or even not consider breastfeeding their child!) Nipple and breasts is not a bad word. Being a massage therapist I know that the breast (at least when a women is concerned) has been there for centuries and has a purpose. Use those breasts and nipples!!!
    Leaving rant mode to say:
    Happy knitting and I love love love the socks!! Absolutely beautiful!

  230. You don’t know how right you are! And funny! Hahaha! I love it. It’s so great.

  231. Don’t feel too bad – I’m 30 and my wii age is like 38 or something. It does that to everyone. 😉
    You are DEAD ON about the nipple/breast issue. I had a conversation with my husband about breastfeeding in public the other day (we’re not parents yet, but we’re trying) and how stupid it is to censor that and his response was that it may not be a sexual act for the mom and baby, but breasts have been SO sexualized in American culture that the thought of someone sucking on my breast (even a baby) arouses sexual feelings in him and, he thinks, in most men. He is pretty sure that will change for him as we have kids, but he understands why people are made uncomfortable by public breastfeeding. It baffles me, personally, but I trust him and think he’s probably right.

  232. Give the Wii a few more tests, you’ll be down in no time. I’m 40 and yesterday my Wii fit age was 20 only because I’ve practised!
    Now if only knitting was one of the tests….

  233. The first time you get on a Wii Fit it always gives you a horrible age. You should see what it says when you’re pregnant and using it! That little voice squeaks out “Ooh, that’s obese!” Like you’re actually hurting the board by stepping on it with your big preggo self. 🙂
    Nipples and breasts…not dirty words at all!!!
    Love your sock club by the way. I hope to try socks some day. I’ve been at knitting for almost two years now, and i’ve definitely progressed to making things besides scarves and blankets. Socks…someday 🙂

  234. Stephanie, I laughed my ass off about the nipple breast thing. Sheesh, people need to get real. Oh no…now you have gone and made 15 girls get pregnant by saying those words!

  235. Steph, if some think nipple and breast are “bad” you might be able to imagine the huge flap that happened when we decided to perform The “Vagina Monologues” in middle America. I actually had an women in her late 60’s whisper to me that “I have never said that word”. Every time I see her I say – vagina, vagina, vagina. Oh, all the performances were sold out!

  236. “Free” advice to those readers frightened by the WORD NIPPLE or BREAST(not even the signt of a nipple, but just the word):
    1. Stop reading this blog…it is clearly not for you
    2. Proceed IMMEDIATELY to your nearest mental health care provider, because clearly you have “ISSUES”
    (Probably the same kind of people who see no problem with gratuitous violence on TV…but God forbid we should see “eek”!! a breast!! )
    ps…NIPPLE NIPPLE NIPPLE BREAST
    pps…someone out there needs to design the next sock pattern that has soft undulating waves and bobbles vaguely reminiscent of …well know….”smirks”

  237. Harlot my girl, you are so right!!!! I am a nurse and I swear if had 5 cents for everytime a man made a comment about his penis I would retire at the age of 33. People place to much importance on a word and no understanding that it (which every part) is just a body part. We all have them!!!! Even though I read your blog for it’s stimulating knitting and life stories, I have to jump on your band wagon, stand on your soap box, and shout to the world “Listen to the women she’s right!!!!”. Ok I’m stepping down now:) Good job!!!

  238. I get a little ticked off at that little dude on the wii fit too. I need to work on my anger issues in relationship to my fitness apparently.
    I read point 5 out loud to my husband…with my 4 and 8 year old GIRLS in the room. We laughed. As a former breast feeding Mom who refused to EVER apologize for my “controversial” choice to do so where ever, whenever I needed we might have a higher than normal comfort level with such language in our house 🙂

  239. I was taken aback by this post, and had to reread the one before. Perhaps it is my age, but nipple and breast never any registered except as laughter because I know the fit reference. I nursed my kiddos, I have aging mammary glands, and I never thought your post to have any hidden agenda. I find it slightly offensive that women would find it offensive.

  240. At least breast and nipple are plain English words, unlike p*n*s, test*cle, v*lva, v*g*na (sorry for the asterisks, I just don’t want you to get too much more spam!) We’ll have come a long way when we have simple, unsensational, non-medical terms for ALL our body parts. That has bothered me since childhood: if we have straightforward terms like arm, head, leg for most areas of the body why not for all? Why do we have to get all coy with Latin polysyllables or nasty with crude slang?

  241. I was to busy laughing to get offended…. I too breast fed my children… I did it because it was cheap and always available. No need to mix and heat. After getting the hospital bill… cheap really came in handy. Plus, it’s the best thing for babies.
    I also have a wii fit. I enjoy it enough still… it’s more of a “help me get moving in the morning” thing than an exercise essential. Have fun and kick butt! (can I say butt? If nipple offends…. )

  242. Here here on the nipple thing..they’re just breasts, used to feed our babies and hold our clothes up in a weird way sometimes, and something for the Man/Woman to play with! haha
    I’ve nursed 3 – sometimes 2 of them at the same time (they were only 16 months apart!) – and I not only love that feeling, but am used to seeing women in the park in other countries nursing their babies out in the open with no big deal. And then when we lived in a rural area, I coached others, who were from other countries, on how to nurse their babies.
    Breasts are a great invention~!!!

  243. I kept thinking of the British sit-com Couples as I read your commentary on nipples.
    I agree that too much is made of them and the words. I nursed my children for approximately 2 years each and have no regrets. They’re in their 20s and I hope they’ll be able to do the same for their children.

  244. When I had my first baby, 27 years ago, the old people, like my great grandmother (who was 83 when my daughter was born) thought it was a good thing that I was nursing her. My great-grandmother, grand lady that she was, yelled at a man in his 40’s who was staring at me nursing in a restaurant… “What’s the matter, haven’t you ever seen a teat before?” My mother thought it was scandalous, and was embarrassed every time I fed my daughter when we were out somewhere… and still thinks a bottle is “better”, tho she tries.
    17 years later, when I had my youngest, no one paid any attention to me feeding him, no one ever looked or noticed… the fact that I put a lease on him drew more attention than nursing him did.
    At this point, my daughter feeds her daughter everywhere and has never had a comment, a stare or an unusual look, the hospital assumed she was going to nurse her, and has a lactation consultant on staff. Oh, and my daughter has only drawn positive comments for the backpack/lease arrangement she has to let her daughter run around in public places without losing her or letting her get somewhere dangerous.
    The times, they are a changing… and, in this case, for the good. (And, in large part, to women like you who are/were advocates for breast feeding).

  245. When youngest daughter was 5 my husband took her and her sister to a job related picnic (I was at work). When the picnic was dwindling down and it was time to clean up one of my husbands associates looked at my 5 year old and said ‘you’re close to the ground – you can pick up that stuff ‘(or whatever) whereupon my 5 year old said ‘ no you can, you don’t have much on top’…. My daughter was focused on breasts because she had decided she liked her flat breasts just fine and didn’t want big ones. Fortunately, her statement was laughed over. She is now an attorney and accepts her Cs..

  246. You are beyond awesome! Personally I think if all these people who get bent out of shape about something like the use of the word nipple devoted that time to other things, say like caring for their children or donating time in their community… the world would be a better place. That’s just my own humble opinion though.
    The sock club still sounds like an awesome plan. One I might just have to incorporate myself. Since I have loads of sock yarn and my current socks are showing signs of wear.

  247. We have the Wii Fit Plus and I normally like the tests (as much as you can like tests), but it doesn’t feel like a workout most of the time. My husband and I do things like the free step for cardio with extra hand and ankle weights, just to feel like we are truly doing something. What I dislike most is that a weight gain of over a pound (which isn’t that hard for a woman with the daily fluctuations we go through), gets the Wii Fit asking you why you think you’ve gained weight. That definitely gets my goat!
    I think boobs, breasts, gazungas, melons, etc. are just fine. I don’t want to parade mine out, but hey that’s my own self esteem talking (and the fact that it is cold and rainy).

  248. It’s a day early for this in the US, but i have to say: HAPPY MOTHERS DAY.
    nipple!

  249. Meeep enough with the nipples talk… I’m getting that darn milk let down tingle.. and my two are now 14 and nearly 16 dammit!
    Love those socks… but have mercy on my nipples.
    Breastfeeding Rules… when my daughter was ill consultant said that she was so resilient because I breastfed her… at the time I was wondering why had I bothered…

  250. Like so many other posters before me, I have to say that I LOVED the term “working class breasts” having nursed both of my kids till they each, in turn, decided that they had teeth for a reason. We strongly disagreed about the reason, which ended the breastfeeding stage at about 13 or 14 months.
    I, too, am very tired of everything that accurately depicts a woman’s body or bodily functions being considered “dirty.” It’s as though our society’s mindset is being exclusively determined by 13 yo boys, and none too bright ones at that.

  251. I think the strong reaction to breastfeeding in public is an “American” thing. When my now teenage daughter was 2 months old, we took her with us to dinner at a friend’s restaurant in upstate NY. (The town still has a very European population as does the restaurant.) I discreetly fed my daughter and was amazed by some of the little old ladies who came over to see the sweet bambina in my arms, even going so far as touching her cheek while she nursed. And yes, when she got older, she called them “nibbles” too!

  252. I didn’t think I could love you any more, and then I read today’s post, and now I do.

  253. I remember when, as I was talking about babies with a couple who had not had any, the woman said, with revulsion, that she couldn’t imagine feeding the baby with food that came out of her own body. I told her that, since the baby had, itself, come out of my own body, I really didn’t have a problem with the concept. They left soon after that–I guess I shouldn’t have been so blunt about where babies come from.
    People have hangups about the darndest things.

  254. Gretchen at 12:22: “Leg” was a bad word in some circles in Victorian/Edwardian times- nice people said “limb”. And those paper frills for decorating a roast chicken’s legs were pantalettes, so they would be properly covered. I wish I were joking.

  255. lol – I love it! That made my day. As a nursing mother – amen! My husband is from El Salvador, and I love that there breastfeeding is just so natural and accepted. No need to cover up or nurse in a bathroom. Your child is hungry? Whip out the boob and feed them. No one even pauses. I love it!

  256. “I think nature can’t figure out how to get them off.)” LMAO!!!!! Thank you for yet another full blown belly laugh at work!!! and just looking at Tamar’s comment above…”pantelettes” oh God, I love this blog! As for limbs and things, we really have to “get over it”…I always think of a survey I heard a while about the amount of violence being shown on American television being ten (or more) times the amount of sexually evocative content. Why the secrecy? Who are we hiding what nature put there from? We all have it, more or less, depending on gender of course…are we keeping the information from robots?

  257. I just love you… 🙂 women are strong and equipped. Thanks for using your opportunity to say so. Oh, and someone may have said this already, but scientifically proven (probably a link somewhere on the LLLI site) that men can in fact lactate much like adoptive mothers can, but to a lesser degree without hormone supplementation. Nipples rock!

  258. How about a Rippled Nipple sock pattern? Great for when it’s reeaaallly cold, haha!! a series of
    ripples with a few properly placed bobbles and we could all wear our “nipples” right out there for everyone to see! That oughta make ’em more commonplace and less titi-llactating, I mean titillating 🙂

  259. I’m breastfeeding my son, and was it HARD at the beginning! Wow! But now I love it. Thank you for your service to new moms everywhere, helping them over the hump to get to the wonderful experience on the other side. My mom breastfed me, in 1977, but my mother-in-law was just given a big box of formula and pills to dry up her milk in 1974. So sad. She would have LOVED breastfeeding, she just loves babies, everything about them. She only got to have one, and when she is visiting and I feed her grandson, I can see her wistfulness. She just wasn’t given the option then, and she was too meek or something to ask questions. That’s just “how it was.”
    Anyway. Thanks for a terrific post. (I hear my kiddo waking up! Better go!)

  260. Too funny! But hang on – elbows must be sexy too, given the number of religious – er – denominations that think they must also be covered up. Ankles fall in that list too – even when covered by socks, so your blog must really be an issue for them.
    Oh, and nice sock club socks!

  261. Thank you, that was so well said. I nursed an 11# and 11 1/2# baby and nipples were all I could think about at first.
    Nipple Nipple Breast feed!!!!!
    and thanks to eclair for the comments about elbows they had me howling!

  262. Be careful! I read about a woman who fell off her Wii balance board and claimed the accident turned her into a sex addict!
    I think a Rippled Nipple sock pattern would be great!

  263. The Sock (it yourself) of the Month Club has been working Beautifully for me! Have 4 1/2 pairs for this year – right on schedule. Saw the idea in your calendar and thought it was brilliant. My sock yarn and patterns will serve me for the next 3 years at least! The tuesday knitting group here in Lamoni checks on my progress every week. AND several more of them are starting to knit socks. I love passing along the insanity!! Thank you Ms. Stephanie

  264. And just to offend someone else – evolution has no reason to take nipples off of men – they are neither a hindrance or a help to the survival of the species. They are kind of a nuisance to male runners though – as hubby once demonstrated to me with the red streaks on his singlet after a marathon – OUCH!

  265. With you all the way, Steph – nipple, nipple, breast………….it’s almost a mantra!!

  266. It’s your blog and you can write whatever you damn well please as far as I am concerned. I would not be surprised if the negative comments were from my neck of the woods. If so, please accept my apologies. Breathlessly awaiting the finished Kiama….

  267. Did you just end your post with a superfluous nipple?
    Really, I just ask because I like that phrase and don’t get to say it enough – actually ever since I’m an engineer.

  268. Here is a sad but true story. When my mother had an ovarian cyst removed when she was 15 (1941), she ask what was done and the function of the body parts. My grandmother was mortified that my mother was asking questions. The Catholic Sister left the room and came back with book that explained how the human body worked (both male and female). My grandmother was very upset, the Sister told my grandmother that everybody has the right to know how their body function and the proper names of said body parts. It is sad some 70 years later we are still dealing with the same narrow mindness.

  269. You go girl! If parents/teachers/adults would just refer to body parts by the appropriate, biological names & not like they are dirty words, I think that would help a lot. Please….Nipple, Nipple, Breast, Breast, Breast…

  270. Word! I feel like shouting it from the rooftops! The other day I overheard a pregnant girl talking with her friend at the coffee shop about breast feeding. She said “No way! Those are for my boyfriend!” Erm…?
    Looking forward to seeing Kiama. Wouldn’t have thought of the short rows.

  271. The year it became legal for women to go topless in Ontario, two young women walked past us on the beach & Dan ran up to them & offered to help them find their babies, they left pretty quick, a 4 year old who was perfectly comfortable talking to them when they were topless wasn’t the reaction they were looking for.

  272. Seriously? People took the time to write you to say they were offended by proper words for parts of the mammalian anatomy? Seriously? Those people need help.

  273. Nipples on men seem to be a safeguard against famine. When emaciated prisoners have been liberated and fed back to health, it’s common for the men to spontaneously lactate when they start putting on weight again. That makes sense, really. If you make it through the famine, then any surviving children need all the support they can get.

  274. I love the new socks, the colors are awesome together.
    Some people in our society are upset about the silliest things. I used to be uptight about the idea of breast-feeding until I nursed my first baby. The more women breast-feed in public, the faster people will change their attitude about breasts.
    Breast-feeding isn’t just healthy for the baby but it gives the mom numerous times a day to bond with her baby and just put her feet up.
    And if you are ever at a house where someone is breast-feeding, be a dear and bring the mom a drink of water or juice. Thirst always seems to set in half-way through a feeding.

  275. @eclair – I love you!
    Thank you Stephanie for a wonderful and reasoned post. Sorry for shortening your name in the previous post. I don’t know if you like that or not, but either way, I hardly know you well enough! I’m glad that you were able to soothe people’s feathers and hopefully it will help them to be calmer in their next encounter.
    And don’t give up hope… Tyra is doing a show on a father that is trying to breastfeed his child… we’re moving back in the right direction if a major network is hosting a show on nipples and breastfeeding. Of course, there will probably be giggling people in the crowd…
    Oh, and I did a find on the word nipple and my Mac simply said “more than 100 found.”
    And finally, even though is long, I don’t want to ignore your knitting — hurray!

  276. Hah. I had the “everyone’s got nipples” conversation with a certain young man who focused on his for the first time while sitting in the bath tub at the age of about three. The conversation went something like this:
    Himself: “I’ve got spots!”
    Me: “Oh, those are just your nipples.”
    Himself: [worried expression]
    Me: “Everyone has nipples. You’d look funny without them.”
    Himself: “I don’t like them.”
    Me: [flummoxed, grasping at straws and a passing cat] “Oh, everyone gets born with nipples. Even the cat has nipples – see? Right there under her fur?”
    Cat: [indignant yowl]
    Himself: “Oh.”
    Me: “Right, so you’re OK with the nipples?”
    Himself: [seriously, looking me straight in the eye] “Mummy, I want you to *snip* them off!”
    Sigh.

  277. I’ve lost 10 pounds using the Wii Fit Plus. For the first 60 days, that’s all I did because it was winter. Now, I walk a lot and have started to find some routines on Fit TV for other days it’s rainy, or I just can’t go out. It’s not like having a trainer, or anything, but it definitely makes a difference.

  278. amen! what a repressed society we live in. geez. it’s our anatomy with no other word to sub for it….unless you wanna get rude about it (and even then I can’t think of anything).

  279. :::applause:::
    I can’t believe we live in a society so backwards that it’s perfectly acceptable to show people being killed, graphically and violently, on mainstream television as entertainment, but basic biology – LIFE SUSTAINING BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES – are considered “inappropriate”.

  280. So, there I was: reading the penultimate paragraph and nodding my head. Yep, right on, you go girl, way to stand up Steph!
    Solidarity fist-pump, warm glow, feminist outrage stoked for another few months.
    Then I read the last line and snorted beer through my nose.
    Thanks, I’m pretty sure I needed that!

  281. Hurrah for you! Similarly, I’ve remarked (in public) how strange it is that we teach our kids “heads, shoulders, knees, & toes” and even body parts like elbows … but many children don’t learn names for any body parts that are in the region between their navels and their knees.

  282. I’d hate to embarrass anyone by using inappropriate language that would cause people to view certain body parts in a sexual way(*snort*). Therefore in all due modesty, I will unequivocally state that as we had a surprisingly large dump of snow last night and this morning(my poor, poor, apple blossoms), I had to clothe my nether limbs in my glorious, new, orange Ilse Jacobsen rubber boots. I trust no one is offended. Cheers and red wine, Hazel.

  283. Way to go, bosom buddy! You drew me in with your knit-wit, you inspire me to get back to making sox, and now I know we are buddies since I, too, was a Boob Lady in some circles. Keep going.

  284. Ok. Because I love this story so much I feel the need to share. And maybe it is the half glass of wine kicking in too.
    Despite my mother’s reservation’s, I was determined to be an open and modern mom 27 years ago when i had my first child. I nursed despite my mom and grandma constantly questioning if I was starving the baby- she looked like all breastfed babies- nice and round.
    As she got older and began to ask questions about herself, we named all of the body parts as she asked. Eventually we got the parts for penis and vagina. I explained that boys have penises and girls get vagina’s. This led to a very amusing few days where every person encountered was asked as to what parts they had and the singing of the “Penis, penis, penis, ‘Gina, ‘Gina, ‘Gina” song all the way through the Target store. It was and still is one of my favorite memories of her childhood.
    Stephanie, you are amazing and you never cease to amaze me with how strong and sensible you are.

  285. My first real job was at Gerber, and there were many awkward conversations with a room full of business men when we talked about nipple creams and breast pads. My favorite, however, was when a young man looked up from an order form he was creating for retailers and exclaimed: You have to wash your nipples with brushes when you breast feed?! I had to explain that the nipple brushes were for bottle nipples. He was mortified.

  286. NIPPLE! BREAST!
    And that’s coming from a woman who used to never be able to order the kind of chicken she preferred because she was too embarrassed to use the word ‘breast.’
    But, you know, then I became a practicing mammal. It’s amazing how my worldview has been influenced by 6 years of pregnancy and/or breastfeeding.

  287. Can’t say enough how much I love this post! I think the only additional point that is randomly coming to my head right now is that there does come a point in many women’s lives when nipples no longer even have a hope of being perceived as sexual object – which seems to happen after nursing said 7 pounds of humanity for a few years and said nipples are now neighbors with the belly button. Now that is a reality we need to be talking about from the early stages. Oh wait – that may not be the best advert for breastfeeding. I think I should stop here and just repeat that I love this post!

  288. Can’t believe you got complaints about typing ‘nipple’ in your post. I am officially Boggled.
    Steph, you said in this post that you ‘counselled’ breastfeeding women. Does that mean that you’re no longer an active IBCLC? Sorry, am just nosy! I’m currently training with the NCT (in UK) to become a Breastfeeding Counsellor, but if I manage to get that far, I’d really like to take it further eventually and try for IBCLC. And you’re something of a role model in this respect!

  289. My 6 yr old (who only recently saw me stop breastfeeding her 2 yr old twin sisters) bought herself a toy cat from IKEA recently. The toy is unusual in that it has a full set of nipples (which she somehow didn’t ‘notice’ when she picked it out). Discussion about nipples, why we have them, and what they do, abounded in the following days. She decided she didn’t like the cat, then she decided, for some obscure reason, she didn’t like any animal with nipples. Most conversations over the next few weeks were punctuated with “do dolphins have nipples? do meerkats have nipples? do possums have nipples?” We informed her that if she wasn’t going to like any animal with nipples she was excluding a rather large portion of the population, and definitely all the cute furry ones – she’d be left pretty much with reptiles, insects and birds (oddly enough some of her favourite toys are a dragonfly, a wooden snake, and a plush goldfinch). After a lot of thinking she’s decided that nipples are pretty cool after all, the cat has been welcomed back into the fold (although her name is now, of course, ‘nipples’) and all is right with the world.

  290. Reading this post, I had about a bajillion different comments, I will try very very hard to keep them in the same order as you were speaking about things.
    Firstly, I am very glad to hear that t he short rows appear to be working out for Kiama; I was a little sad to hear it wasn’t working out correctly – but fully admit to giggling a little at the upset about nipples on the last blog post. (moving on)
    I don’t like Wii Fit. Mostly because I threw a fit when I tried to learn the Wii Fit. I am a full grown 26 yr old woman, and that blasted thing thinks I’m like TWELVE. Yes, it can’t figure out what to make of me because my muscle index is correct for my age but I’m… well… petite. Grr. Arg.
    I love your Sock-of-the-Month Club/stash busting idea and totally want to do the same thing myself – once I learn to knit socks. I have several books on knitting socks (some toe-up, others top down) and still am afraid to knit them. I know that once I learn how to do it, I’ll be confident but… well… starting is always the hardest part of any new technique. I noticed that most of your socks are top down but I really like the idea of toe-up so I can try them on to figure out when to go from foot to heel to leg, etc, because my feet are small and I have never yet found a pair of socks that fit correctly. Any suggestions?
    Oh, and in reply to nipples? I love the word, it’s funny sounding (I mean really, elbow and shin and buttock all sound funny too) and I have a 7 yr old brother I’m trying to teach to be completely benign about body parts. It’s only half way working, mom still doesn’t like us saying “breast” around him yet. I think I’m wearing her down though…

  291. Re: Nipples and breasts
    I love you so much right now!!!! Honestly, people get worked up over the silliest things (and, seriously, nipples AND breasts might be highly functional but they are sort of silly looking–especially nipples)!

  292. I read this piece very quickly the first time and thought it said, “They are presents to all mankind.” And, you know, I totally agreed with it! I think Mother Nature puts them on men, too, so that men don’t have some other reason for saying women are weird because we’re different, kind of like what has happened because we menstruate. For a long time men thought menstruation was a character flaw. (Personally, I wish Nature had shared that little piece of good fortune between the sexes, too.) Anyway, the only time anything to do with nipples has totally freaked me out was walking into a Babies R Us and seeing an entire wall of synthetic nipples –I had to go home and have a lie down.

  293. NIPPLE!! I’m astonished you got mail about this! Recently finished breastfeeding my daughter, who has been fed on trains, planes and automobiles, in parks, fields and halfway up a mountain, in the garden, at the pub and at work. Currently looking forward to doing the same with my second baby.
    Proud though I am of hardworking breasts, I do wish someone would invent better post-breast-feeding bras…(I know you have no truck with such, but I’m weak!)

  294. You took the words right out of my mouth!
    As a mother of 2 breastfed children (and another on the way), I am forever trying to figure out why Victoria’s Secret can plaster their barely-concealed soft porn everywhere, but you can’t show a nursing child on the cover of a magazine. There is seriously something amiss with our notion of sexuality.
    Love The Blog, Stephanie. Keep it up! 🙂

  295. OK, I didn’t have time to read the bajillion comments, but did anyone else have “nipple, nipple, nipple, breast” sing in their head to the the theme of “llama llama llama duck”?
    Think we might have a new viral video…

  296. I was helping someone study for a physiology class in college and the subject of nipples on men came up. It turns out that XY fetuses need to get a specific hormone bath at a specific time in utero, or they’ll actually be female. So biologically, they might need those nipples.

  297. You said it right. s, , we all have them. Better, God gave them to us for a set purpose…to feed our children! How many times have I winced to see a woman pull out a bottle to feed her baby! Newborn humans are not cows, and they aren’t designed to digest cows milk, no matter how refined it is. Oh, but these same women give a mother breastfeeding in public a dirty look, as though a nursing mother is doing wrong. And, yes, I was the mother that nursed my sons, and my daughter in public.(Women make a point of wearing the least possible amount of clothes-I know I gave them less to see.) My son stated the obvious once, at two, when a mother became upset because I was breastfeeding in public- “Did you ask your baby if he wants to suck on some rubber tit? Cuz that formula is vomit!” Oh, yes, and that sock is so pretty!

  298. I nursed my daughter for 26 month, when she weaned herself. I nursed her everywhere (well, not at my cousin’s wedding, but my cousin did). Breastfeeding is a good thing. Amen.

  299. I was hoping the topic of breast feeding and nipples had become more normal at this time in history. When I had my first child 25 years ago I was very, very young and lacked the confidence to nurse for more than 6 weeks. A lot of the reason was not only lack of suport but actual criticism from my mother in law. Being forced to leave the room added to the sence of condemnation I felt at the time. By the time my second came along we lived across the country and I had developed friendships with women who nursed their children. Having support and encouragement was the key, and I no longer felt like a freak. I had confidence and didn’t feel the need to leave the room to nurse. I’d sit happily at restaurants, and most people didn’t even realize that I was nursing a baby. When we visited the mother-in-law I sat in her living room and nursed without ever mentioning it. Because of my confidence she kept her mouth shut. Big difference. My second child nursed for a year and a half. The third nursed for two years. They both gave it up when they were ready. I’ve never posted before, but I had to say thank you. More people need to work toward making this the “normal” part of life that it should be.

  300. I have been known to compare bobbles to nipples and yarn stash to porn. It’s a miracle no one has called me out on it yet, but I think it’s just a sign that I’m not famous enough. The more famous you are, the more likely you are to attract wingnuts. Bummer, that.

  301. Just have to chime in again because Permission to Unwind at 5:41 p.m. May 9 mentioned comparing bobbles to nipples. That reminded me that during a recent knitting class on nupps in lace, we ended up calling them nooples, because that’s what some of our practice efforts looked like. 🙂

  302. oh how this post made me smile. This coming from someone who is reading your post while having ‘starving humanity’ attached to my nipple in the form of my second child. Nipples and multitasking – a perfect mix on Mother’s Day!
    Thanks for the candid post 🙂

  303. Just for the shear fun and practicality of form and function…Nipple Nipple Breast!!!

  304. I love EA’s Active Trainer for the Wii. The resistance bands are great for the strength training exercises. I use Wii Fit for balance and yoga mostly. I also bought the extender so that I can use it for step aerobics.

  305. A perfect post to breastfeed the baby to (which is whar I’m doing right now).

  306. You really should try to find the song “What’s so bad about a nipple?” by The Toyes. It is hysterical. Not every culture is so hung up on this sort of thing. In some (warm) places– wait this is shocking–people don’t even wear shirts!

  307. Geez, what is with some people? Maybe you should make a video along the lines of llama llama duck, but instead make it nipple nipple breast. Now that would be worth a look.

  308. Thank you for this post! I’m trying like heck to get my 11 year old daughter to stop being so embarrassed by those words. She never got it from me!

  309. Isn’t this a voluntary read?? If people don’t like/appreciate what is written, they can just not drop in! That’s the beauty of it! Happy Mother’s Day!! I’ve been working on the same pair of socks since November and am finally in the foot of the second sock. Maybe one day I can have a sock of the month (and then I’ll have 6 pairs at the end of the year!)

  310. Thank you for honoring mothers by reminding us that we are mammals with nipples to nourish and nurture our babies. What an amazing plan!

  311. nipplenipplenipplebreast X 30!!!!!!!!!
    Sheesh! Keep rockin’ it, sister!!!!!!

  312. I shall add my voice to the chorus once again, and say, you are absolutely right in your statements about breasts, nipples and their functions. You’re awesome and an inspiration.

  313. Steph, you totally crack me up. Thank you for the smiles almost every day. You rock! P.S. Maybe someday I’ll try knitting a sock since you seem to be so addicted! ONE, I said. Who knows if I’ll get so far as to make a pair?

  314. OK – coming in a bit late here so not sure if this has been said before – the reason males have nipples is because nature’s default gender is female. All fetuses start off female, it is only once the gender-specific hormones kick in that the more noticeable differences start to develop. Male breasts, with sufficient hormonal stimulation, can lactate.
    The whole “female as default” is the reason hive animals (bees, ants, termites, etc) are all female, with the odd male brought to life every now and again for reproductive purposes. In normal conditions all the members of the colony are essentially clones of the mom. When they feel the need for some mixing of genetic material they do the hocus pocus needed to produce males.

  315. Hahaha! Read that while breastfeeding my newborn. I think it enhanced my enjoyment and gives more force to this… AAAAAMMMMEEENNNN!!!

  316. Leaving nipples on men is Mother Natures way of saying that she doesn’t object to sex changes. She realises that you can’t please every”body”. ;^)

  317. Thank you Stephanie. I love my working class breasts they have served me and my daughter well. They seem to have remained fairly perky even after 4 years of hard labour. So when will we see the pattern for your own NippleNippleNippleBreast Socks? You can’t create such a stir and leave us without so much as a commemorative sock.

  318. Nipple, breast. How could anyone get offended for your writing these words? Some people have too much time on their own hands. Thank you for a sane post!

  319. I have worked in hospitals, in daycare, in direct care for adults with all manner of handicaps. I wholeheartedly agree. Neither breast nor nipple are dirty words. I could list a plethora of anatomical words that are not, in fact, dirty (unless of course you’re sexually repressed, in which case, that’s just a shame). By the way, I love those socks! Thanks for another wonderful post.

  320. What you said, re breast and nipple, times at least 2.
    They can be used to sell everything and anything on billboards, in newspapers, etc. but they’re naughty words when we used them correctly in discussing a woman’s anatomy?!?!?!?!
    Boobs!

  321. Yeah, as a mom who nursed 9 kids, I have to agree with you. I also especially love the phrase “working class breasts,” which I think more respectfully describes their condition than “sagging to my knees.”
    Love the socks. Am constantly amazed at the speed with which you knit!

  322. I had applauded “working class breasts” a few days ago, added it to my repertoire of quick one liners, in hopes I would remember to use it when the occasion called for it. I am not surprised at the backlash from the tsk tskers though. I am 67 and belong to three knitting & stitching groups and have found myself on the other end of reproachful looks with any talk of body parts at any of our totally female gatherings. You have to wonder what their Mothers told them.

  323. Love these latest socks!
    The Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette recently had an item in the paper about a mother was “asked” by the Lindale mall security guard to go nurse in the “family bathroom” at the *other* end of the mall. If I recall correctly, she had 1 child in the play area, and was feeding the baby, and a couple of people were bothered by it. The “others” are free to take their kids and leave, as far as I’m concerned. I think there’s now a “nurse-in” scheduled for this weekend(?). When I was growing up, nursing in public was just not done (in fact not common at all), and I think it’s great that mothers are more willing to do so. And yeah – I really wish people would grow up and get over it.

  324. I’m with the ones who never noticed and had to look back at the post. Thought maybe I’d missed something. Can’t wait to see how it comes out.

  325. I had to go back into the previous entry to SEE where you actually used bad words. Someone actually objected to your usage??? Good gawd, I thought we lived in modern times where most of us use these terms several times a day – especially when designing or making clothing. Give me a break people . . . .

  326. Offended by the use of nipple & breast enough to send you an e-mail????? Some people have too too much spare time. Love the socks.

  327. Just read the May 10, 12:13 Post from Sheila suggesting you create a sock pattern called “Nipple, Nipple, Breast”. Go for it Steph. Please. Beth

  328. Your socks are cool! And I can’t believe you got mail because you used the words nipple and breast in your post. I just hope, that the persons, who wrote, never come to Germany in summer, where people lay topless at the beach and where you have to go to the sauna without clothes…..

  329. my personal boob-pet-peeve, people getting all weird and uptight when women breast feel in public.
    Lovely socks, btw.

  330. Bravo! Nipple, breast, breastfeeding…
    The Wii Fit gets nicer when you get to know each other better. After six months, ours regularly tells me I have the body of a woman twenty years younger and that I have excellent posture and ab strength! I love it!

  331. In some cultures, breasts are not erogenous/forbidden zones so women go bare breasted. Can’t help but think they are missing out on something.
    I do so wish our culture had not goine through the Puritan and Victorian Ages (except for the knitting/needlework/fiber part). Why must enjoyable be a bad thing? I’m sure glad knitting isn’t forbidden.
    Haven’t had babies so I defer to your wisdom about the other uses.

  332. My sister-in-law, Katie, was raised in a very strict household where modesty was prized above all else and she still laments the fact that after much trial and error, she was never able to sucessfully breast feed any of her children.
    I, on the other hand, came from a family with more relaxed views and literally woke up after my c-section nursing my oldest son. When Katie asked me if it had freaked me out, I told her, “No…not the breastfeeding. But I did check the baby’s bracelet to make sure that he was mine!” 🙂 Nipples rock!
    And, as for my Wii…it’s doing a FANTASTIC job holding a bag of hand-dyed banana and taro root yarn that I just brought back with me from Kauai.;)

  333. As a currently breastfeeding mother who had oodles of trouble at the start, I cannot agree with this post more.

  334. Take heart, Steph, the first time we played Wii Fit as a family, it told PseudoStepkid #2 (then 13 years old, and by far the most athletic one of us) she had a Wii Fit age of 24. We all had a good laugh over that. Well, all of us except PSK #2, but even she saw the humor in it later.

  335. Amen!
    (And good thing you’re not knitting a bikini… You might have needed to type “vulva”!)
    from a nursing mom in Los Angeles.

  336. Best sentence ever: From the perspective of someone who counseled breastfeeding women for years and years, I can tell you I really, really, really think it would have helped if the word nipple wasn’t coming up for the first time when we were trying to attach 7 pounds of starving humanity to it.
    I needed an attachment for some of my equipment and I asked my male coworker to order it with the following note: Please order more nipples for the pumps. Needless to say, a quick phone call from him and some laughing he figured out what I wanted and kindly informed me they were called PVC adapters.

  337. If you look at the history of breast feeding in the US, in the fifty, women were incouraged to bottle feed, and poored working class women breastfed. Now, we give formula to low income women with the Women, Infant and Children program, so, rates of breastfeeding is the lowest in the lower economic levels and highest in the more educated, and higher economic levels. One crazy cycle! What once was a sign of poverty is now a sign of wealth.

  338. I nursed my twins for 16 months living in NYC and never once got an odd look or comment from anyone…I’m so surprised to hear that it has become overly-sexual to mention breast or nipple.I personally think it’s much more offensive for plumbers to have name their pipes “male” and “female” based on the way they are screwed together…but I never hear anybody complain about that!

  339. Honestly, I can’t believe what people choose to get worked up over. I mean, sheesh. Breasts and nipples are used to feed babies. Babies, who, incidentally, are birthed via the VAGINA.

  340. Good for you! As a nurse practitioner I agree with you 100%. Thank you! Honestly, some people need to find better and more fruitful battles.

  341. By the way, the reason male mammals have breasts, including nipples, is that the default gender at conception is female. Males do not develop until later. So there.

  342. Amen! Nipples aren’t all about sex. Well, let’s put it this way, for 50% of the population (women) they do actually have a practical function. However, when it comes to the other part of the population, nipples ONLY have to do with sex – my husband says that is what men’s nipples are for (apparently pleasure only?!?!?) Typically neanderthalistic……

  343. Correction about the nurse-in at Lindale Mall (Cedar Rapids IA) – it was this past weekend, and well attended. According to the paper, there were about 160 people in attendance, no report of how many were actually nursing vs. how many to show support.

  344. My mom was a LLL leader too. Having grown up in a family where breastfeeding was completely unremarkable (because it was so ordinary and every day), it’s very odd now to see some of my friends feeling so embarrassed and self conscious when breastfeeding their children. It never used to occur to me that anyone would feel differently about it than the attitudes I grew up with.
    nipple nipple breast breast nipple

  345. ROTFLMAO
    Kudos to you Stephanie !!!!!
    I completely agree !
    Breastfed 4 of my own, and don’t have the time or tolerance for people’s hang-ups.
    As an ER nurse I applaud you for helping to re-educate people about something some of us have forgotten is a natural life skill.
    nipple nipple breast breast nipple !!!!
    Happy Knitting Tuesday
    PS (Finally got a copy of Free-Range Knitter and have to Thank You for once again sharing your delightful Wit and Wisdom !! I alternate between snorting and howling. Love it !!!)

  346. “I can tell you I really, really, really think it would have helped if the word nipple wasn’t coming up for the first time when we were trying to attach 7 pounds of starving humanity to it.”
    Holy guacamole, are you ever right about this.

  347. All this talk of socks and nipples has me picturing a pair of socks inspired by Jillian Moreno’s Boobie Scarf.

  348. I hit your like button a bunch of times! From someone who grew up in a home where anything private on the body was not mentioned that is saying a lot. 🙂 I have 5 children now and we talk, thank goodness. They think nipples are a fully functional piece of equipment. I do wish the first time using the equipment wasn’t with an 11 lb 2 ozs daughter who seemed to be starving. 😉

  349. Right on, Stephanie! I’m a NICU nurse and help women every day learn to pump their breasts for their premature babies.

  350. Hullo, am reading with 21lbs of teething humanity attached and wishing more people could realise that we have them for a reason. Still trying to get husband to play pacifier once in a while. No go. lol.

  351. Don’t know if you’ll get all the way down here to read this comment, but don’t worry about the age thing on the Wii fit. The first couple of times you do the test, it’s going to be hard. Once you figure out what each test entails, you’ll regularly get a much “younger” score.

  352. I love you for this. Really. If I leaned that way (and we both weren’t already married with 3 children each) I’d seriously consider an offer of marriage. As it is, I’m awfully glad you have this blog so that I can at least hang around as a cyber friend.
    You make me laugh, even as you say things that really need saying, and I love that. Thanks again.

  353. Not privy to your emails, I wouldn’t know, of course, but I wonder, after reading this post (and the preceding one, as this peaked my curiosity re: what was printed) – I wonder if perhaps it has to do with context. In other words, some of the offended readers may not be as offended by the words nipple or breast in a medical (or other) book, whereas they wouldn’t want to see (or envision or discuss) their personal friends’ nipples or breasts. Again, I dunno – but the idea of context came to mind after reading this post and pondering it a bit.

  354. My husband received a book for Christmas called “Why Men Have Nipples and other medical curiosities”. They (nipples)are actually remnant vestigal type organs left over from early embryonic development prior to the emergence of testosterone production when human babies are at the just-a-few-cell stage of life in the uterus. So in other words, all embryos start out as female, until the Y chromosome kicks in to do its work. Its a fun little factoid.
    I just thought I’d let you know I love your blog almost as much as I love knitting, crocheting, weaving or working with wool.

  355. I agree! NIPPLE!!!!!!!NIPPLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NIPPPPPPPPPPPLE!
    SAY IT Loud and proud!

  356. I do think there are certain propriety limits in conversation (depends on time, place, parties….), but using proper anatomy terms for a body part being discussed in a matter-of-fact way in connection with its actual biological function is well within what I consider acceptable and I don’t understand being unable to have such a discussion. No one was explicitly discussing sexual acts, nor were there any vulgar or crude terms being used, so what’s the big deal?

  357. re 2.: very little practise with the balance board makes those age go down high speed. start with 49 maybe – but you can loose 20 years within two weeks. that’s a ball!
    re 5.: on the other side of the Atlantic, it is sometimes hard to believe this kind of excitment.
    nipplenipple.
    reminds to Victorian times, when decent women had to faint by just hearing the word “ankle”, or beware, “leg”. never understand why youth is not endangered by seeing people shot or beaten up on TV, but the Janet Jackson incident causes such uproar, and a toddler at the beach without pants is a crime?
    really, in northern europe noone cares about naked toddlers, topless at the beach or breastfeeding in a public place. nipplenipple.
    did I say I do enjoy yout blog? well, i do!

  358. I’m 28 and my wii fit often tells me I’m 49. I’ve learnt to ignore it.

  359. Who knew people were so uptight? As a nurse (and a nursing mother) I see body parts every day. No big deal. That said I’m not a fan of the word “nipple.” Anyone got a synonym?

  360. Oh, heck. I have to chime in, too! Nipple, nipple, nipple. Breast, breast, breast!

  361. I’m 49 and my Wii fit tells me I’m 51 – close enough for me – I’m not fond of how chubby it made my Mii once it got my weight but hey – the truth hurts! My favorite thing is that my 20 year old, fairly fit son, had an initial Wii age of 70!!! He’s dropped a few decades since but it was a lot of fun for a few weeks around here.
    nipple nipple breast breast! I may have to make that our new Motherpucker hockey team cheers
    Love the socks – may have to try them.

  362. Men have nipples so they know how to put their shirts on the right way. Front=nipples

  363. Smiling while reading this on my blackberry with my first born 7 day old 8 pounds of humanity well latched on my left nipple.

  364. As a mom of 2 who has now been breastfeeding continously for 4 years, I agrees completely!

  365. Thanks for this, just found your blog thanks to the nipple/breast discussion, and thanks for your BF support! My daughter is coming up on the big 0-1 and we’re still nursing, and every time I see someone supporting it, it makes me feel less nervous about “still” nursing my daughter. Going to stay on the blog since I’m a knitter too, well when said 1 year old isn’t trying to eat the knitting needles.

  366. Hi Stephanie, I may be a little late to add my “two cents” but my husband sells plumbing and the word ” nipple” is used all the time. It is a small piece of pipe with small threads on each end.

  367. As usual, you rock.
    I spent many hours of my many years in animal shelter work convincing people not only that “bitch” is NOT a dirty word when describing a fertile female canine, but that it is the CORRECT word to describe a fertile female canine.
    And?
    Nipple.

  368. I’ve breastfed my 3 boys (now 20, 7 and 5) in all sorts of places including on a bus and sat in a pub next to a table with several young blokes around who hadn’t got a clue what I was doing.
    My biggest regret is not breast feeding my daughter (now 22), I was only 17, far too shy and nervous to stand up to everyone who said bottle feeding was easier/better even though I would have loved to have tried it.
    It’s only in the last 12 months or so they’ve headed south (my breasts lol not my children, I think they’ve had enough of the last few awful British summers and have gone off in search of warmer climates) but I kind of enjoy the dual function aspect of both my breasts and nipples. I certainly don’t consider myself dirty for liking both.
    Some people really need to get a grip!!!
    Loving the knitting x
    Loving the blog x
    Nipple nipple nipple breast, mmmmm I’m thinking socks with bobbles on the front big and proud ;0P

  369. My favourite word in french, for breast, is “nichons” (plural). 🙂
    I also find painful to see the reaction when photos of knitting objetcs are taken on bra-free persons. Maybe it is because I live bra-free most of the time and find hurtful to hear that it is “vulgar”!!
    I did breastfeed my three children and made a point to do so in all sort of place! (with a scarf: I am a very modest person)
    Nipples, mamelons, nichons, breast.
    🙂

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