Kyrgyz President's Daughter Speaks Out About Criticism Of Her Breastfeeding Photo

After 20-year-old artist Aliya Shagieva, daughter of Kyrgyz's president Almazbek Atambayev, posted a photo of herself nursing her son Tair on Facebook alongside the caption, "I will feed my child whenever and wherever he needs to be fed," the critical comments started rolling in. People accused her of lacking modesty and oversharing. "I feel sorry for your husband and father," one read. Her father and his wife disapproved as well. In Kyrgyzstan, a central Asian predominantly Muslim country, most women wear clothing over their breasts when they nurse in public, she told BBC Kyrgyz.

Eventually, Shagieva took the picture down because her parents were scared it "could be harmful to her young family," she said. But she still believes in parents' right to breastfeed without shame. "This body I've been given is not vulgar. It is functional, its purpose is to fulfill the physiological needs of my baby, not to be sexualized," she explained. "When I'm breastfeeding my child I feel like I'm giving him the best I can give. Taking care of my baby and attending to his needs is more important to me than what people say about me."

Despite taking the (disappointingly) controversial breastfeeding photo down, Shagieva's been sharing sweet photos of herself, her son, her husband, and their adorable cats on Instagram.

But Shagieva is much more than a mom. She's also an advocate for animal rights and Down Syndrome awareness, according to the BBC. And she creates beautiful black and white drawings. "I was about five years old when I drew kids on sleighs on a wall next to my bed," she wrote next to one post. "My mom was upset about it. On that day I decided: 'I will grow up and draw on whatever I want to!' Only in the last few days I have been actually fulfilling my childhood dream. There are no words to describe the satisfaction I get."