Nicole Trunfio’s breastfeeding cover for Elle still has people talking, and the controversy is not going away. ELLE Australia editor-in-chief Justine Cullen took the decision to feature model and new mother Nicole Trunfio breastfeeding her 5-month-old son, Zion Rain Clark, on the June cover of the fashion magazine. After being blasted for her decision, Cullen was forced to remove the breastfeeding cover on newsstands.
Elle’s breastfeeding cover controversy is still brewing, which is why ELLE editor-in-chief Justine Cullen has opted to remove the controversial breastfeeding cover from its retail release.
Justine Cullen will be using a picture of model Nicole Trunfio in a Prada dress holding her son, Zion Rain Clarkon, instead of the one where she is breastfeeding him. Cullen explained the censorship:
“In an ideal world no one would have an issue with seeing breastfeeding on the cover of a magazine. But it’s not an ideal world. While there’s nothing provocative about breastfeeding, it is a provocative image to see on the cover of a fashion magazine, and it’s enabled us to contribute to a necessary conversation around normalizing breastfeeding and why that’s so important.”
Cullen also revealed that it was never planned to have Trunfio topless on the cover, it just happened. She shared:
“This wasn’t a contrived situation: Zion needed a feed, Nicole gave it to him, and when we saw how beautiful they looked we simply moved her onto the set.”
When the original, controversial and even powerful of ELLE Australia cover surfaced, Nicole Trunfio was very proud of it. She said:
“It was a completely natural moment that resulted in a powerful picture.There is nothing more powerful and beautiful than motherhood.The last thing I want to do is be controversial, so please take this for what it is, let us #normalizebreastfeeding there is nothing worse than a mother that is judged for feeding her hungry child in public. #weareonlyhuman.”
The model added:
“I’m so proud of this cover and for what it’s stands for. I obviously don’t look like this while I am breastfeeding but this stands for all women out there, whether you breastfeed or not, we gave birth, we are women, we are mothers. Thank you to ELLE for being so bold and making such an encouraging, positive and healthy statement.”
When Elle’s breastfeeding cover was first released, many applauded, but some people showed disgust. Here are few comments from TheSpreadIt readers who have seen the cover.
“So it a bowel movement. Doesn’t mean I want to see that either.”
“There is nothing wrong with it if you are good looking like that woman but most women are fat and disgusting. I find that very offensive to look at.”
What are your thoughts on Elle Australia’s decision to cave on the breastfeeding cover controversy?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the breastfeeding cover or breastfeeding in public. This word is so backwards in the things they find offensive as opposed to some of the horrific things they simply accept.
Absolutely agree. Well said.
How does something so natural and primal become ugly and disgusting?! If you cannot see how backwards this world is than i feel for you.
I neither agree or disagree with your comment.. That stated look, undoubtably what is fundamentally wrong with the world is the unchecked mental disease we define as liberalism.. That fact is supported by none other than Dr. Michael Savage..
This is so Beautiful, and Authentic…….
This is disrespectful and not for all to see!!! Very indecent.
Are the people who are “disgusted” by this cover also upset at the pictures of JLo, Beyoncé and Rihanna in their “gowns” on the red carpet? If not, may I respectfully suggest you ‘shut your pie hole’.If yes, I can at least respect your position.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeing a woman breast feeding her baby, but please don’t think that this happened naturally and wasn’t contrived. Who would breast feed a bare bottomed baby while wearing a suede jacket? This was obviously posed and I feel that the breast feeding issue is being sexualized in this glamour shot.
Somehow we are okay with watching female stars parade around on stage and at shows with barely there dresses which are disgusting and indecent, but having a mother posing on a magazine cover breastfeeding her child is not okay. Unbelievable! Whomever finds this disgusting should not have children. Hello people, breasts are not made for men to play with, they are made for breastfeeding.
I do not understand this editor’s decision to remove the page. How many Instagram photos, Facebook photos, etc. have been removed over this. Countless women, beautiful women showing tasteful photos of their babies nursing in very discreet fashions; some of these women were at work, and some were at home. Women such as Alyssa Milano, Olivia Wilde, Alanis Morissette, Miranda Kerr, Gwen Stefani, just to name a few, as there are many more. All of these women, have stood in support of the health of their baby as being more important than their modesty. Photographs, images- all scanned on social media sites, and on to the front of magazines such as this one, illustrating their personal commitment as a mother to their child. This Editor will now be removing the model in Prada breastfeeding her baby, to the model in Prada holding her baby. The Nicole Trunfio said, “It was a completely natural moment that resulted in a powerful picture.There is nothing more powerful and beautiful than motherhood.The last thing I want to do is be controversial, so please take this for what it is, let us #normalizebreastfeeding there is nothing worse than a mother that is judged for feeding her hungry child in public. #weareonlyhuman.” I see her point… think about how many times you go somewhere and you hear a baby crying, and you think, “Please, give that baby a bottle!” What if they aren’t a bottle fed baby? What if a mere ten seconds and the problem could be resolved; however, it doesn’t work because people don’t like it when a woman breastfeeds in public. I breastfed in public. I merely placed a blanket over my breast, and no one was offended. So is the problem breastfeeding, breastfeeding where you can see it, or the fact that these women- celebrity women are being placed into a mother role on the front of a magazine, other than a woman? When #KimKardashian bared her bottom line, there was not a problem. When women wore dresses showing so much more than just a little cleavage at the Met Gala 2015, all eyes were deviated to more than just the pepperoni pizza delivered by #Rihanna. Instead, nursing mothers have become the reason for reprints, instead of Photoshop.