Kerala advocate lodges complaint against Malayalam magazine Grihalakshmi, model Gilu Joseph over breastfeeding cover photo

Malayalam magazine Grihalakshmi's cover featuring a model breastfeeding a baby in its latest edition has invited a case in the CJM court of Kollam in Kerala. 

According to a report by ANI, a case was registered by advocate Vinod Matthew against the Malayalam magazine's publisher and the model Gilu Joseph.

Charges have been filed under Section 3 and 4 of indecent representation of women (Prohibition) act 1986 and the hearing of the same has been fixed for March 16, according to a DNA report.

The March 1 issue of the magazine, featuring 27-year-old model, poet and writer Gilu Joseph, with the title, "Mothers tell Kerala, 'please don't stare we need to breastfeed', created a series of discussions on social media over breastfeeding in public.

"Don't stare, we are #breastfeeding!"

Grihalakshmi March 1st Issue is out, which speaks about the importance of breastfeeding, and the taboos revolving around it. pic.twitter.com/CtobpNInMO

— Grihalakshmi (@Grihalakshmi_) March 1, 2018

It invited diverse views from netizens where some hailed the act as an initial step towards normalising the act of breastfeeding, while many slammed the move as 'indecent'. Debates even hurled over the stereotypical 'aristocratic' appearance of the woman who featured on the cover as well as the fact that she was a not a mother with her own baby, but a model.

Retorting to the social media upheaval over 'vulgarity', Gilu Joseph, in an interview to The Indian Express Malayalam, said that she considers breastfeeding as a privilege, which is exclusively ordained to mothers. Women should realise that breastfeeding is completely a biological and normal act, she added. The model also revealed that she received no support or approval from her family for the project.