Why do people think drinking breast milk is disgusting but drinking cow milk is fine?

I think it’s ‘cuz I’m all growed up now ;)

I won’t drink milk straight from a cow either. It’s pasteurized.

Probably just a social norm… although breast milk has a lottt of things in it just for babies.
Either way human milk, cow milk, any milk count me out- yuck

@missingbite – it comes “straight from a cow” raw, then humans pasteurize it

Because it comes from a human. Same reason people revile cannibalism.

@sevenfourteen I should have been more specific. I know humans pasteurize it. That is what I meant by, I wouldn’t drink it straight from a cow. I wait until it is pasteurized. My 82 year old dad grew up on a dairy farm and lived on straight milk. To this day he drinks half and half straight out of the carton. It’s gross. way to thick. He does the same thing with buttermilk.

I guess it would go along the same lines as why you would think eating human bacon is disgusting but eating pig bacon is fine.

Actually, I think both are gross.

Funny huh? I have no desire to drink goat’s milk, or cat’s milk, or any ___ milk, but I do drink cow’s milk.

Ever since I had kids, I feel a little guilty about it! That cow has a calf somewhere… ;)

Probably because we as humans majorly sexualize breasts. If you compare human breasts to primate breasts, ours are the only ones that are perky and highly obvious, which indicates that we’ve sexually selected these kinds of breasts.

So, being sexual objects, I think it seems gross to people when breasts perform their most basic, natural function.. hence, people getting really worked up over mothers breastfeeding in public, and the revulsion toward breast milk.

@MissAnthrope And that is why your avatar is covering hers.

Both my husband and I have tried my breast milk. It isn’t that bad and has a sweet taste to it, though I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to try breast milk from someone else.

I do find it interesting that women, and gay men, will swallow something else but they think breast milk is disgusting.

I think neither are gross and I think this is an excellent question – it points out that there is no reason to drink cow’s milk either.

because breast milk is not cow milk.

I personally don’t find it disgusting. I wish people as a whole would be more accepting. Maybe milk banks wouldn’t charge so much if more people donated, and more people were willing to accept the milk when they needed it. I’d prefer that over the formula companies.

I think it tastes good. So does my husband. I’d cook with it if I ever made enough to feed my child and had a lot left over.

Because adult lactose tolerance is a relatively recent genetic defect.

iv tried it when my wife was pregnant, it was pretty good. its normal for mammals to drink milk.

@buck19delta it’s not normal to drink that of other mammals.

@buck19delta I’d say it’s normal for baby mammals to drink milk and somewhat agree with @Simone_De_Beauvoir, but I’d put it as it’s not natural for to drink milk from other mammals.

@limeaide right

um, its not normal for mammals to drink milk from other mammals?

human mother feeds her baby….

cow donates milk to feed a human baby…

which is not normal?

@buck19delta obviously, I mean from other mammals not same – in instances where a substitute has been used (dog mom feeding kittens, wolf mom feeding puppies), it is possible but it’s clearly not ideal

Keep in mind all mammals on our planet are lactose intolerant once they grow up. Homo sapiens is the only mammal having developed significant adult lactose tolerance and there are major regional differences. But we still carry the mammalian instincts in our genes.

@mattbrowne I didn’t realize that, very interesting. Thank you!