A president's daughter ignited a national debate after she posted her breastfeeding photos online. Aliya Shagieva, the youngest daughter of President Almazbek Atambayev of Kyrgyzstan, received some praises but also mostly criticisms, especially since 75 percent of the country's population is Muslim.
Shagieva welcomed her son, Tagir, with husband Konstantin in September 2016. As with many new moms these days, the 20-year-old often shared photos of her pregnancy and baby online, as per Daily Mail.
Last March, however, Shagieva posted a photo where she breastfed Tagir. Critics lashed out in the comments and cited her for "immoral inappropriateness."
Some bashers also slammed the new mom for embarrassing her father but a few defended her for normalizing breastfeeding. Mothering reported Shagieva deleted her posts on social media following the backlash.
In case you missed her Facebook posts - #Kyrgyzstan president's daughter Aliya Shagieva #CentralAsia https://t.co/ycyUsMz6AA
— Navbahor Imamova (@Navbahor) April 17, 2017
This wasn't the first time critics hounded the young mom. When Shagieva revealed her pregnancy, she posted a photo of her baby bump while only wearing her underwear.
Commenters said her provocative photo brought shame to her family. Some gave her unsolicited advice about covering herself up more.
She, however, defended she wasn't sexualizing her pregnancy and motherhood. She pointed out it's her critics who have the problem in how they saw her images.
Shagieva also said because some women wrote to her to say she inspired them, she decided she will continue posting photos of nursing her baby. Despite the strong wave of opposition coming from conservatives, the mom said she's grateful to those who see the normal act between a mom and a baby.
Kyrgyzstan, located in Central Asia near the Chinese and Russian borders, is a staunchly conservative country where women aren't afforded equal treatment despite its progressiveness, as per The Guardian. There are several women's group and women's causes in the country but due to politics and religious beliefs, the female population remains disadvantaged.
