Here we find ourselves in 2016, where it’s somehow still considered controversial for a woman to breastfeed in public. Mila Kunis, who shares daughter Wyatt with husband Ashton Kutcher and is currently pregnant with the couple’s second child, argues that new mothers should be allowed to breastfeed wherever and whenever they want without being judged. The actress tells Vanity Fair that she’s been shunned herself for nursing in public.
“I support every woman’s choice in what she wants to do and whatever makes them happy, but for me, I did nurse my child and I literally breastfed everywhere,” Kunis said at the New York premiere of her latest movie Bad Moms on Monday evening. “There were many times where I didn’t bring a cover with me, and so I just did it in a restaurant, in the subway, in the park, at airports, and in planes. Why did I do it in public? Because I had to feed my child. She’s hungry. I need to feed her whether it’s out of a bottle or out of my boob no matter where I was.”
When Kunis would nurse Wyatt, who is now 21 months, in a public space, she’d find herself on the receiving end of glares from strangers for not covering up.
“It always made my husband and I feel a little weird,” she admits. “It took us a little back because people actually looked at us in a shameful [way], and we were like, ‘Oh my God,’ because it’s so not a sexual act. It didn’t matter to me what other people thought. That’s what I chose to do, but I think it’s unfortunate that people are so hard on women who choose to do it and do it in public. In the States and in our culture, we sexualize the breast so much that there’s an aspect of it that people just don’t know how to wrap their head around the idea of showing your breast in public. But I respect the opinions on both sides. If it’s not for you, don’t look.”
The debate still wages on, but in the meantime, the-soon-to-be mother of two is having fun with her maternity style. Throughout her pregnancy, Kunis has been wearing clothes designed by Ulla Johnson. She even wore a short-sleeve, one-piece jumpsuit created by the New York designer for last night’s screening. When dressing up for a press tour and a red carpet, Kunis says she prefers to have a subtle maternity look and doesn’t want to amp up her style too much for the sake of showing off her burgeoning bump.
“I can get away with different styles that I normally couldn’t since I’m pregnant, but there’s a fine line,” said Kunis, who also pinned her long hair up into a faux bob for the premiere. “There’s a line where I’m like, ‘I feel great. Let’s have fun and do something different and crazy,’ and then it’s like, ‘I don’t know if that’s going to fit in a week. My belly keeps growing and will that outfit still look the same? So, I go with whatever dress that is simple and feels right. I play with the size. Everything has to be fitted to a point of expansion. I don’t want to wear anything just to show off my belly.”
As for wearing stilettos during her pregnancy, Kunis has no problem leaving those in her closet. “I’m one of those ladies that likes to be in flats,” she said. “I don’t necessarily want to wear heels while I’m pregnant. I’ll only wear when them when I need to!”