“It’s very ironic, because it’s a place full of paintings of breastfeeding women! Five days after her visit to the Louvre, Jasmin is still disappointed and shocked by the end of her visit. After more than two hours wandering through the halls of the most famous Parisian museum, the young Franco-American must take a break.
“My little Lana, five and a half months old, was hungry,” explains the 30-year-old. When she had just entered the spectacular Richelieu gallery with her sister from the United States and her French husband, she was looking for a bench to be able to breastfeed her daughter. “It was 5 p.m., there was hardly anyone in the room. So I decided to feed her here,” she says.
Barely installed, a man, obviously a Louvre agent, the only one present in the room, will move towards them. “What are you doing, madam? he asks as he approaches. “He looked at us more closely and then explained to me that it was not allowed. When I asked why, he replied that this could disturb some of the visitors “recalls Jasmin. She assures that, being very modest, she had an outfit that covers her chest with a nursing dress that allows only the nipple to come out. “If it bothers people, I’ll cover their face,” she retorts, between bitterness and irony.
The man doesn’t want to hear anything and asks her to go to the toilet to continue breastfeeding. “We then decided to leave the museum so that I could breastfeed outside. I was surprised. We are in France and until then I could breastfeed my daughter everywhere without worry, ”continues the young mother.
The Louvre will remind its agents
“If he had a badge around his neck like the other agents, he was not dressed in the same way”, notes the small family, however. Because earlier during the visit, around 3 p.m., Lana had already claimed her mother’s breast. Sitting in the Sully gallery, her gaze had met that of two agents. “One made me a little smile, another gave me a rather unpleasant and disapproving look”, regrets this project manager in communication.
This is also why she decided to write to the museum. “When a baby is hungry, you can’t wait. I think it’s human error, but if they could reinform their staff, ”wishes Jasmin, not resentful. A message visibly heard in the corridors which welcome ten million visitors a year.
“If we have not yet succeeded in identifying the agent in question, we repeat that the visiting regulations absolutely do not prohibit breastfeeding in the rooms, retorts, to the Parisian, the management of the Louvre. There may have been a misinterpretation of the rules. This lady did well to write to us, we are going to give a general reminder of the instructions. And to mention that a dedicated space, the Studio, opened recently and designed with mothers, offers an armchair with armrests and a bottle warmer to take care of infants.
VIDEO. Why breastfeeding in public is still badly perceived?
A case that is reminiscent of the controversy sparked almost a year ago at Disneyland Park, where an Australian tourist was banned from breastfeeding. To prevent this kind of situation from happening again, a deputy (LREM) from Val-d’Oise, Fiona Lazaar, had tabled a bill aimed at “prohibiting preventing women from breastfeeding in public places and establishments. open to the public”.
“After a case at CAF, another in a police station, if there is this new episode, it proves that it is not an anecdote. There is a misunderstanding of the subject. I hope that this offense of obstructing breastfeeding will be studied whether I am re-elected or not, ”explains the MP. A text that had been postponed due to the health and economic crisis.