---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When an actress takes off her clothes…"
description: "\"When an actress takes off her clothes onscreen but a nursing mother is told to leave, what message do we send about the roles of women?\" — Anna Quindlen"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/anna-quindlen-467_actresses_when-an-actress-takes-off-her-clothes-on_555749.png"
---

#  When an actress takes off her clothes onscreen but a…

![“When an actress takes off her clothes onscreen but a nursing mother is told to leave, what message do we send about the roles of women?” quote by Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/anna-quindlen-467_actresses_when-an-actress-takes-off-her-clothes-on_555749.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/anna-quindlen-467_actresses_when-an-actress-takes-off-her-clothes-on_555749.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/anna-quindlen-467_actresses_when-an-actress-takes-off-her-clothes-on_555749.png)

> “When an actress takes off her clothes onscreen but a nursing mother is told to leave, what message do we send about the roles of women?”

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Sexualized media portrayal of women contrasts with restrictive expectations of motherhood, sending mixed societal messages.

**In simple terms:** Media shows women one way, society expects another.

Key Takeaway

Challenge inconsistent gender norms.

Themes

gender media motherhood body autonomy

Mood

critical concerned

Type

analytical political

When to use this quote

- advertising
- film
- parenting policies
- education curricula

Key Concepts

feminist theory media studies

Questions to Reflect On

- How do portrayals affect real mothers?
- What standards should guide media?

A Different Perspective

Some argue artistic freedom outweighs social impact.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actress Takes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actress-takes-1293707/) [Actresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actresses/) [Breastfeeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breastfeeding/) [Clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes/) [Clothes Onscreen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes-onscreen-4617915/) [Dichotomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dichotomy/) [Feeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeding/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Nursing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nursing/) [Nursing Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nursing-mother-962842/) [Onscreen Nursing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/onscreen-nursing-4617916/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roles/) [Roles Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roles-women-246564/)

## Related quotes

> ['Blanche' opened a new door for me without really making me more famous. 'Blanche' was a risk, but that is the only thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-doillon/blanche-opened-a-new-door-for-me-without-really-making-me-more-famous/)

[Lou Doillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-doillon/)

> [Peace is a nursing mother to the land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/peace-is-a-nursing-mother-to-the-land/)

[Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/)

> [The state is the nursing mother of human culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alexander-leighton/the-state-is-the-nursing-mother-of-human-culture/)

[Joseph Alexander Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alexander-leighton/)

> [I admire the women who can have babies and jump right back to work. As a nursing mother, I couldn’t sit there and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-admire-the-women-who-can-have-babies-and-jump-right-back-to-work-as/)

[Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/)

> [Virtue is the nursing-mother of all human pleasures, who, in rendering them just, renders them also pure and permanent; in moderating them, keeps them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/virtue-is-the-nursing-mother-of-all-human-pleasures-who-in-rendering/)

[Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/)

> [A baby nursing at a mother's breast... is an undeniable affirmation of our rootedness in nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/a-baby-nursing-at-a-mother-s-breast-is-an-undeniable-affirmation-of/)

[David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/)

> [Every nursing mother, in the midst of her little dependent brood, has far more right to whine, sulk or scold, as temperament dictates, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoinette-brown-blackwell/every-nursing-mother-in-the-midst-of-her-little-dependent-brood-has/)

[Antoinette Brown Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoinette-brown-blackwell/)

> [For those with the purity to see it, a nursing mother is one of the most precious, most beautiful, and most holy of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-west/for-those-with-the-purity-to-see-it-a-nursing-mother-is-one-of-the/)

[Christopher West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-west/)

> [Truth is the nursing mother of genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fuller/truth-is-the-nursing-mother-of-genius/)

[Margaret Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-fuller/)

> [There seems to be great roles for women, and it's not necessarily - you don't have to be young women. Suddenly, we're realizing that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-headey/there-seems-to-be-great-roles-for-women-and-it-s-not-necessarily-you/)

[Lena Headey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-headey/)

> [I used to worry about the lack of roles for women over 40. But suddenly, everyone has realised it's interesting to have a drama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-used-to-worry-about-the-lack-of-roles-for-women-over-40-but/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [There are so many good roles for women out there, I don't understand it when people say the role choices are fewer as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-edelstein/there-are-so-many-good-roles-for-women-out-there-i-don-t-understand/)

[Lisa Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-edelstein/)

> [I feel like there is this resurgence of amazing roles for women. It's because TV is so good - there are amazing parts for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-shannon/i-feel-like-there-is-this-resurgence-of-amazing-roles-for-women-it-s/)

[Molly Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-shannon/)

> [I've been very lucky with the roles that I've played in that they were wonderful roles for women. They're incredible, flawed characters that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anya-taylor-joy/i-ve-been-very-lucky-with-the-roles-that-i-ve-played-in-that-they/)

[Anya Taylor-Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anya-taylor-joy/)

> [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/)

[Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/)

## More by Anna Quindlen

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [Sometimes change came all at once, with a sound like a fire taking hold of dry wood and paper, with a roar that rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/sometimes-change-came-all-at-once-with-a-sound-like-a-fire-taking/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [Loss as muse. Loss as character. Loss as life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/loss-as-muse-loss-as-character-loss-as-life/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [knowledge of our own mortality is the greatest gift God ever gives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/knowledge-of-our-own-mortality-is-the-greatest-gift-god-ever-gives-us/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [You teach your 16-year-old with your heart in your mouth to be a good driver and none of that makes any difference when some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/you-teach-your-16-year-old-with-your-heart-in-your-mouth-to-be-a-good/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [Every reader, I suspect, has a book like this somewhere in his or her past, a book that seemed to hold within it, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/every-reader-i-suspect-has-a-book-like-this-somewhere-in-his-or-her/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [“I’ve finally recognized my body for what it is: a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-ve-finally-recognized-my-body-for-what-it-is-a-personality-delivery/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [A man who builds his own pedestal had better use strong cement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/a-man-who-builds-his-own-pedestal-had-better-use-strong-cement/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [“In England I am always madam; I arrived too late to ever be a miss. In New York I have only been madamed once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/in-england-i-am-always-madam-i-arrived-too-late-to-ever-be-a-miss-in/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [“Yet there was always in me, even when I was very small, the sense that I ought to be somewhere else. And wander I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/yet-there-was-always-in-me-even-when-i-was-very-small-the-sense-that/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [I can't think of a single downside to motherhood now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-can-t-think-of-a-single-downside-to-motherhood-now/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It would take a helluva man to replace no man at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-would-take-a-helluva-man-to-replace-no-man-at-all/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [Not writing at all leads to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/not-writing-at-all-leads-to-nothing/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [Reading has always been my home, my sustenance, my great invincible companion. "Book love," Trollope called it. "It will make your hours pleasant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/reading-has-always-been-my-home-my-sustenance-my-great-invincible/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

[Explore all 538 Anna Quindlen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

## More Actresses quotes

> [I feel excited about getting older as an actress, too. I think there are some amazing opportunities around the corner and I don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/i-feel-excited-about-getting-older-as-an-actress-too-i-think-there/)

[Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/)

> [I think most of us are raised with preconceived notions of the choices we're supposed to make. We waste so much time making decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/i-think-most-of-us-are-raised-with-preconceived-notions-of-the/)

[Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/)

> [I've been told before, and I tend to believe it, I'm not like most actresses out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moira-kelly/i-ve-been-told-before-and-i-tend-to-believe-it-i-m-not-like-most/)

[Moira Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moira-kelly/)

> [Marilyn was a great actress, not a dumb blond bombshell. She was very smart, very astute and a good businesswoman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-schiller/marilyn-was-a-great-actress-not-a-dumb-blond-bombshell-she-was-very/)

[Lawrence Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-schiller/)

> [By the time I was seventeen, I was on my way to Hollywood and didn't look back. My family is supportive now, but like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/by-the-time-i-was-seventeen-i-was-on-my-way-to-hollywood-and-didn-t/)

[Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/)

> [Just have fun. Smile. And keep putting on lipstick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-keaton/just-have-fun-smile-and-keep-putting-on-lipstick/)

[Diane Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-keaton/)

> [There are a lot of great actresses out there. You learn to appreciate each one for what they offer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-pratt/there-are-a-lot-of-great-actresses-out-there-you-learn-to-appreciate/)

[Victoria Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-pratt/)

> [I want to be fulfilled creatively as an actress and get to be in roles that are meaningful and impactful. I hope the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/i-want-to-be-fulfilled-creatively-as-an-actress-and-get-to-be-in/)

[Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/)

> [There's certain things I try to avoid, as an actress, just to keep my world from being as narrow as it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/famke-janssen/there-s-certain-things-i-try-to-avoid-as-an-actress-just-to-keep-my/)

[Famke Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/famke-janssen/)

> [All the baggage that comes with fame, being an actress. The down side to it is the intrusion into your life and this expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/all-the-baggage-that-comes-with-fame-being-an-actress-the-down-side/)

[Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/)

> [I am going to be a great actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivien-leigh/i-am-going-to-be-a-great-actress/)

[Vivien Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivien-leigh/)

> [As a black actress you've got to work doubly hard. But it doesn't ever get me to the point where I give up on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naturi-naughton/as-a-black-actress-you-ve-got-to-work-doubly-hard-but-it-doesn-t-ever/)

[Naturi Naughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naturi-naughton/)

> [I've seen new actresses do one show and disappear or struggle for years to get their next break. I've been fortunate enough to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjeeda-sheikh/i-ve-seen-new-actresses-do-one-show-and-disappear-or-struggle-for/)

[Sanjeeda Sheikh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjeeda-sheikh/)

> [I knew I wanted to be an actress as soon as I popped out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-wallace/i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-an-actress-as-soon-as-i-popped-out/)

[Dee Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-wallace/)

> [Campaigning actress ASHLEY JUDD refuses to 'breed' with her racing star husband DARIO FRANCHITTI while there are starving children in the world. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-judd/campaigning-actress-ashley-judd-refuses-to-breed-with-her-racing-star/)

[Ashley Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-judd/)

[Browse all 1,881 Actresses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actresses/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When an actress takes off her clothes onscreen but a nursing mother is told to leave, what message do we send about the roles of women?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anna Quindlen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/when-an-actress-takes-off-her-clothes-onscreen-but-a-nursing-mother/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actresses"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/when-an-actress-takes-off-her-clothes-onscreen-but-a-nursing-mother/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/anna-quindlen-467_actresses_when-an-actress-takes-off-her-clothes-on_555749.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/anna-quindlen-467_actresses_when-an-actress-takes-off-her-clothes-on_555749.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/anna-quindlen-467_actresses_when-an-actress-takes-off-her-clothes-on_555749.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When an actress takes off her clothes onscreen but a nursing mother is told to leave, what message do we…” — Anna Quindlen",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anna Quindlen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When an actress takes off her...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/when-an-actress-takes-off-her-clothes-onscreen-but-a-nursing-mother/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/when-an-actress-takes-off-her-clothes-onscreen-but-a-nursing-mother/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
