An image of a female firefighter breastfeeding her baby is being praised by social media users everywhere. The photo was posted to Facebook and Twitter by the Country Fire Authority (CFA), a volunteer organization in Australia, over the weekend.
“Just to clarify, this photo of Angela, a proud mom and CFA volunteer was taken at a community event,” the Australian organization wrote on Facebook. “No fires nearby and a safe environment for her child.”
The breastfeeding photo received more than 31,000 likes on Facebook in less than a day. In the comments, many agreed that the CFA “deserved an award” for posting the photo. One user wrote: “I LOVE this! So fantastic that the CFA encourages you to combine family and firefighting, best of both worlds. Such a beautiful picture, you look so proud.”
Other commenters applauded the breastfeeding mom. “Raising a newborn and also volunteering for firefighters… what an amazing person,” one said. “Well done. You are a role model.”
Another wrote, “As a firefighting volunteer and as a human this makes my heart happy. Women truly are the real superheroes.”
According to ABC, the photo was not intended to help normalize breastfeeding, although the mom, Angela Joy, admitted that was a plus of sharing the image.
Instead, the picture was taken by Joy’s husband, another volunteer firefighter. He sent the photo to the CFA after the organization asked for photos that represented Australia in the lead up to Australia Day on January 26.
Although the breastfeeding photo did receive some negative comments, the public’s reaction was positive overall.
In the past, breastfeeding photos on social media have consistently sparked outrage. Earlier this month, for instance, a gym ad showing a breastfeeding model started a controversy on the internet.
Despite this, CFA chief executive Lucinda Nolan says the public’s positive reaction was what they were expecting: “It's an image not usually associated with firefighting so we wanted to use it as a way to breakdown people's perception of our workforce and what our organization stands for today.”
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