“It’s a constitutional right, freedom of expression, and that includes our pump. Free the nip, right?”
Local bodybuilder, Sam Wheeler, unexpectedly finds himself asking what his local barista’s plans are for International Women’s Day.
“March 8, it’s a big day, I have to celebrate the sisterhood. We all experience the same struggles. I know exactly what you new mothers are going through. It is ridiculous that you are forced by the patriarchy to feel like you need to use a pump cover when breastfeeding. When I get a pump I want the whole world to see it, we shouldn’t feel self conscious about that.” Mr Wheeler “used to have a hard time connecting with feminism before”, but the gym has really opened his eyes to the different treatment of men and women.
When asked about his turn to feminism, his eyes drift as he talks about his experience on the 10th of January. “It was my pull day and I was going for a PB [personal best] because it was peak week, so that means it must have been around January 10th, the beginning of the new year. All the newbies had signed up to the gym and were taking all the benches, and they had the worst form you’ve ever seen, so I had to use the free weights section instead. One of the locals was there breastfeeding her child, and after my first set I went over and asked her what she was doing, ‘cause y’know, the gym is no place for a child. She said that it was the only place she didn’t need a pump cover!”
Peeking out of his gym bag were seminal feminist texts from the likes of Angela Y Davis and Simone de Beauvoir, alongside Gymshark memorabilia and shaker bottles. You can forgive the overzealousness of the convert.
Mr Wheeler becomes quite animated about the unjustness of it all. “I mean, I think they’re protected by one of the discrimination laws, but I’m not sure every woman knows their breastfeeding rights, and like, the culture is still so touchy. I know the importance of a pump cover, y’know, as a safety net to avoid judgement, but we should be proud of our bodies and what they are capable of.”
Mr Wheeler even organised IWD celebrations at his local gym: “Women just have this hidden strength, not just with muscles, but emotionally as well.”
