‘Sexy Ugly Christmas Sweater’ Is Perfect for Breastfeeding
A holiday top billed as a “Sexy Ugly Christmas Sweater” is getting a ton of attention online for its festive functionality for breastfeeding moms.
The sweater, which gained attention when it showed up in the Etsy shop YourSassyGrandma, comes in red or green and has a hole on the right side of the chest. It also includes stick-on eyes and a red tinsel nose, transforming the wearer’s breast into Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It’s the perfect gag gift for an ugly sweater holiday party — though plenty of new moms are noticing that the top could serve a dual purpose.
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While the seller has been clear that the sweater is not intended for breastfeeding, it’s being celebrated by nursing moms online — though who knows how many of them would be brave enough to wear it? An image of the garment was posted on the Beautiful Breastfeeding Facebook page with the note “Bahaha, ugly sweater BF style…” and has since been shared more than 6,800 times and liked more than 5,300 times. Plenty of users have tagged their breastfeeding friends, adding comments like “A functional sweater for you!” and “Why didn’t we think of this?”
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The $50 sweater also comes in a men’s version (at $47). “Remember your nipple is the reindeer’s nose!” says the Etsy description. “The more hair you have on your chest the better, it will make your reindeer look even more furry!”
The women’s top has gotten so much attention that Tyler Wiseman, the Etsy shop owner, says sales have been through the roof. “My wife and I are very surprised at how viral our ugly Christmas sweaters have gone,” the Utah dad tells Yahoo Parenting. “We have almost sold out of everything used to make the sweaters, and I may be forced to shut down shop soon.” In fact, the sweater is no longer being sold because of the overwhelming demand.
And while Wiseman is thrilled with the attention to the sweater, he says he is concerned with the emphasis on breastfeeding. “This is a novelty item, and we don’t want women being misled when they purchase it,” he says. “The pasty that is used for the reindeer’s nose is only made for one-time use. It would be very embarrassing if the mother popped the nose off, fed baby, and then realized it can’t be reapplied and had nothing else to put on. Also, the eyes could be a choking hazard to a baby. We use toupee tape for the adhesive on the eyes and nose, and I don’t think that would be good for a baby, so the mother would have to clean her nipple really well to make sure it was clean before latching on. And, of course, there is the issue of only breastfeeding on one side.”
Not that he would stop a nursing mom from using the sweater for that purpose, he says, as long as she understood what she was getting into. For a nursing mom looking for a more modest, and perhaps safer, approach, Wiseman suggests wearing a flesh-colored nursing tank underneath. “The eyes and nose would stick to the fabric, and it would look as if you had your breast out,” he says. “That way you still get the fun novelty of the sweater and the realistic use of it.”
That said, Wiseman understands why some nursing moms might want to use the sweater to, well, let it all hang out. “My wife breastfed our three girls, so I know your breasts can be pretty amazing during nursing,” he says. “Some women may want to have them exposed!”
(All photos: Etsy/YourSassyGrandma)
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