#long story short: no it easnt her intent but it was an outcome of her frustrations

[dirtytransmasc]

Do you think that when alicent warn rhaenyra about the milk came from her nipple during the council she was doing it to humiliate her?

complicated.

personally it took me a few rewatches to totally get the scene (I'm autistic and the social and personal nuance of the scene was personally hell for me for some reason) but I can safely say, I believe it wasn't her intent.

I don't think Alicent meant any ill will, she was trying to be kind, alerting Rhaenyra that she was letting down milk and that she needed to go clear herself up. they're both mothers, this is something they both know well, and I'm sure Alicent has gotten mastitis before and she felt sympathy for Rhaenyra. she had attempted to be discreet as well, Rhaenyra was the one who made the problem evident when she looked at it directly. overall, I think Alicent was just trying to be kind, one mother to one mother, even in her frustration.

I will say, I think her frustration caused her to blunter then she could have been and opened Rhaenyra up for potential scorn by the court. she was annoyed with her, pissed off about the betrothal offer and Rhaenyra's actions at council, so even in her attempts at kindness, some of that well deserved animosity seeped through. a kind gesture turned sour by her frustration with the other women.

I also think that alicent forgets that while Rhaenyra is not entirely immune to the judgement and misogyny of the court. it's s very small part of this encounter, but as Rhaenyra has always acted and been allowed to act above the court, I think she underestimated how much pointing out such a womanly problem could effect Rhaenyra. I don't know if that makes any sense, I don't really know how else to put this concept into words though so you'll have to bear with it.

at the end of the day, I don't think Alicent did anything explicitly wrong, but I can understand why people could feel like she had tried to scorn Rhaenyra or humiliate her. my thing is, is that she doesn't look at her in a way that would suggest that. she looks tired, she looks tired and frustrated, but you see her sort of "step out" of councilwoman mode to something much more natural and less... like a facade I guess. she makes this comment to Rhaenyra as Alicent, not the queen, not as Viserys's wife, not even as her stepmother (she only speaks to Rhaenyra like this a few times, but it's an honorable mention), she speaks only as a long lost friend and s mother who understands. she wasn't thinking about court or humiliating Rhaenyra, but only giving aid, even when she didn't want to.