It started with what should’ve been a quiet, intimate moment between a mother and her child—a tired baby seeking comfort and nourishment, and a mother doing what mothers have done since the beginning of time. But when 27-year-old Jenna Wilkins sat down on a bench near the checkout area at Costco and lifted her shirt to breastfeed her 6-month-old daughter, she had no idea that within hours, her face would be plastered across the internet, sparking a tidal wave of controversy, judgment, support, and ultimately, one of the most powerful responses the world has seen in defense of public breastfeeding.
Jenna, a soft-spoken graphic designer from Portland, Oregon, had always been proud of her role as a new mother. But she never thought her name would trend on social media for simply feeding her child. It all began on a rainy Saturday afternoon when she made a quick stop at Costco to pick up diapers, formula, and frozen chicken—typical errands for any new mom. As she reached the checkout line, her daughter Amelia began to fuss, her cries escalating into high-pitched wails that turned heads from every aisle.
“I tried to rock her in the cart, offer her a pacifier, distract her with toys—nothing worked,” Jenna later recalled. “She was hungry. And I wasn’t about to let her scream out of discomfort while I stood there doing nothing.”
So she did what came naturally. She walked over to the small seating area near the exit, sat down, pulled a lightweight shawl around her shoulders, and began to breastfeed.
It wasn’t until she returned home later that she discovered what had happened.
Unbeknownst to her, a bystander had snapped a photo of her nursing and uploaded it to Facebook with the caption: “Is this really necessary in public? Have some decency. #KeepItPrivate.” The image went viral within hours, drawing tens of thousands of likes, comments, and shares. The internet quickly polarized. While many defended Jenna’s right to breastfeed wherever and whenever necessary, others launched harsh criticisms, accusing her of “exhibitionism,” “disrespect,” and even “attention-seeking.”
“She should have gone to the car,” one commenter wrote.
“Just because it’s ‘natural’ doesn’t mean I want to see it while buying toilet paper,” said another.
“Why are people so offended by a baby eating?” countered one user.
“This is why women feel ashamed of their bodies—because of attitudes like this,” another posted in support.
As the storm of opinions swirled around her, Jenna remained silent for 48 hours. She didn’t respond to messages from news outlets, influencers, or even her friends. She sat at home, holding Amelia, reading the thousands of comments—some supportive, others cruel—and tried to process what was happening.
Then, on the third day, she posted her response. It wasn’t what anyone expected.
Jenna uploaded a video to her social media titled: “To the Person Who Took That Picture at Costco.” In it, she sat in her living room, Amelia sleeping peacefully in her lap, and looked directly into the camera.
“I wasn’t trying to start a movement,” she began, her voice steady but emotional. “I was just feeding my baby. She was hungry, I had what she needed, and I wasn’t going to make her wait because someone else might be uncomfortable with what my body was made to do.”
She paused, taking a breath. “But since you’ve made me the center of this conversation, let me tell you what you really saw that day. You saw a mom doing her best. You saw a woman exhausted from sleepless nights, balancing motherhood, work, and the pressures of society. You saw a moment of vulnerability, and you chose to shame it. But I refuse to be ashamed.”
The video went on for nearly seven minutes. Jenna didn’t rant or shout. She spoke calmly, directly, from the heart. She shared her experience with postpartum depression, her anxiety about breastfeeding in public for the first time, and the way society teaches women to be both nurturing and invisible at the same time.
“You want us to be mothers—but only on your terms. You want us to breastfeed—but only in hiding. You want us to be strong—but not confront discomfort. That’s not fair. And I’m done playing by those rules.”
By the end of the video, she delivered one final message: “If this picture is going to be shared, then let’s use it to spread something worthwhile. Let’s talk about normalizing breastfeeding. Let’s talk about respecting women. Let’s talk about compassion. Because the real indecency isn’t a baby nursing in public—it’s shaming a mother for doing what’s right.”
The video shattered the internet.
Within 24 hours, it had been viewed over 12 million times. Celebrities like Kristen Bell, Chrissy Teigen, and Alyssa Milano reposted it with messages of solidarity. Parenting blogs hailed her as “the voice we didn’t know we needed.” Even Costco released a statement reaffirming their support of mothers’ rights to breastfeed in their stores, referencing local and federal laws protecting public nursing.
Jenna was invited to speak on morning shows, podcasts, and panels. But perhaps the most powerful impact came from the thousands of messages she received from other mothers.
“I’ve always been too afraid to nurse in public,” one woman wrote. “But after seeing your video, I finally did it—for the first time—in a park yesterday. Thank you.”
“You made me feel seen,” another mother wrote. “For the first time, I didn’t feel ashamed of my body doing what it was meant to do.”
Jenna turned the painful experience into something empowering. She started a local initiative called “The Mama Bench Project,” which installs designated breastfeeding-friendly benches in public spaces with signage encouraging support and privacy—without shame. The first bench was installed at that very Costco where the photo was taken. A small bronze plaque read:
“For every mother doing her best. You are seen. You are strong. You are enough.”
What began as a humiliating and invasive moment became a catalyst for change. Jenna never asked to become a symbol—but when the spotlight found her, she used it to shine light on an issue bigger than herself.
Her message still echoes across social media: “Breastfeeding isn’t indecent. Shaming women is.”
And to this day, Jenna says she doesn’t regret nursing her baby in that Costco.
“If I had the chance to do it all over again,” she said, “I’d do it exactly the same way. But maybe this time, I’d smile for the camera.”