Albino model, Diandra Forrest, carried her new-born baby daughter down the runway at New York Fashion Week, which led people to believe that she was breastfeeding. The model was taken aback by the response as people were shocked thinking she’d breastfeed so publicly.
However, Forrest wasn’t even breastfeeding Rain – she had already fed her backstage. She told the The Telegraph that she was in shock by the negative reaction from some people, because breastfeeding isn’t, or at least shouldn’t be, a ‘big deal’.
“I was the last out, so other people were walking and I was nursing her because she was getting a little cranky,” Forrest says. “Her mouth would have had to be on my boob to be breastfeeding! So I was like ‘what?’”
Diandra is extremely confident in showing off the natural processes of a woman’s body, but this in turn might offend and make some people uncomfortable.
In fact, in September 2015, Diandra walked for the same designer with her belly out, while five months pregnant. She also did a photoshoot just five weeks after giving birth, taking pride in how different her body looked after giving birth.
She later suggested the idea to walk with her newborn, even though it all started as a joke.
“It was funny because a few weeks after she was born I knew fashion week was coming back and I lost my baby weight so was happy about that and me and my agent were joking like ‘we should do the Gypsy Sport show again, breastfeeding or just walking with the baby down the runway.’
“The next week the designer called us and asked us if it’s something we’d be interested in. We took it and ran with it.”
But now she’s frustrated and shocked with all of the negativity towards breastfeeding in the public eye.
Forrest says,
“I’m a new mom, when my baby’s hungry, she gets what she needs. I’m not making a statement. It’s just part of life. You need to get real, it’s really just a boob. Men walk around topless, and women walk around topless, and if they can do that to be sexual, we can do this for our babies. Whether we’re doing it modestly or not, are covering ourselves or not, which I do,” she added.
“People are more used to seeing naked bodies in more of a sexual way than a motherly way. I’m not against that at all, I’ve done nude pictures and I’m very proud of my body, but it’s okay to show your body in that way. If you’re pulling out your breasts to feed your child, that should be even more so okay.”
In fact, exposed nipples are something we often see at fashion week, appearing behind sheer fabrics, so why should the natural wonders of breastfeeding be any different? If she were even doing it to begin with.
NYFW, as has previously been spoken about, has a long way to go in many arenas — diversity and feminism being at the forefront. But this season’s shows had moments that showcased the progress that is being made, and that’s encouraging.
Even though Forrest wasn’t actually breastfeeding during the show, it was still a beautiful moment that showed the power of motherhood.
