Earlier this week, NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne drew a bit of ire from the lactivist community when he made a series of body-shaming comments through his Twitter account after seeing a woman nursing in a grocery store.

Kahne’s comments were the type you’re well familiar with if you’ve been a nursing mother at any point- the standard “that’s nasty, I lost my appetite” kind of thing. Kahne’s attitude in the posts (quoted below) were- not surprisingly- offensive to many who have been in  the position of having to nurse in or near public, and outcry was swift and angry. Kahne originally said:

Just walking through supermarket. See a mom breast feeding little kid. Took second look because I was obviously seeing things. I wasn’t! …One boob put away and one boob hanging!!! #nasty …I don’t feel like shopping anymore or eating…

Initially, Kahne’s response to one angry tweeter (“your [sic] a dumb bitch”) didn’t ameliorate the situation either, but it seems the NASCAR star has changed his position, and he sent a pleasant apology- it seems to indicate that not only is he sorry for the offense caused, but that Kahne also appreciates the folly in his original comments. Kahne begins:

“I understand that my comments regarding breastfeeding posted on Twitter were offensive to some people. For that, I apologize. It was in no way my intention to offend any mother who chooses to breastfeed her child, or, for that matter, anyone who supports breastfeeding children. I want to make that clear… In all honestly, I was surprised by what I saw in a grocery store. I shared that reaction with my fans on Twitter. It obviously wasn’t the correct approach, and, after reading your feedback, I now have a better understanding of why my posts upset some of you.”

Kahne continued:

“My comments were not directed at the mother’s right to breastfeed. They were just a reaction to the location of that choice, and the fashion in which it was executed on that occasion… I respect the mother’s right to feed her child whenever and wherever she pleases.”

Given his initial remarks, it’s heartening such a dramatic reversal so rapidly followed. Oddly enough, if anything, the incident seems to be a testament to the benefits of nursing in public as a way to cement a woman’s right to nurse in public.

What do you think about Kahne’s initial remarks and subsequent apology?

Kasey Kahne Apologizes For Breastfeeding Remarks is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a shocking turn of events, it appears a NASCAR driver is an uneducated, not-very-enlightened hillbilly.

Kasey Kahne, 31, is apparently active in charitable work, but it doesn’t appear to interfere with his personal misogyny or propensity to engage in perpetuating negative stereotypes about women (breastfeeding mothers, in particular.) Racing is traditionally a bit of a boys club- as a non-fan, the only think I know about the one chick that I know of from NASCAR is that she is “hot,” and Kahne seems to have internalized the “boobs are for selling beer” attitude.

The racing star took to Twitter to spew some injudicious comments about a breastfeeding woman who had the nerve to be the mother of a hungry baby in a supermarket, of all places, and though some of the offensive tweets have been removed, they’ve all been preserved because nothing really ever gets fully deleted from the internet. Kahne sent the following series of tweets Monday after being exposed to nursing in public:

Just walking through supermarket. See a mom breast feeding little kid. Took second look because I was obviously seeing things. I wasn’t!

One boob put away and one boob hanging!!! #nasty

I don’t feel like shopping anymore or eating

@KnittingRad And your a dumb b****.

It should be pointed out, in case you missed it, that breastfeeding is not only an act that literally saves the lives of babies all the time, it is also a protected activity in many states. And further, it’s stupid, reckless comments like Kahne’s that push women away from the practice, despite the palpable benefits to both mother and child.

It would be nice if Kahne retracted his comments and apologized to women who are forced to endure such puritanical, misplaced and dangerous attitudes when they have the audacity to feed their babies in public. But in the interim, the NASCAR star should take a look at the chart below, and remind himself that not ever pair of breasts he sees is in fact relevant to him.

Kasey Kahne, NASCAR Driver, Picks on Breastfeeding Moms on Twitter is a post from: The Inquisitr