We've been lied to for decades, and our too-smart-for-that-malarkey grandmothers are dead.
This is a good addition to the what-will-future-generations-think-we-were-stupid-about lists.
But of course the issue is, partially disrobing in public. We all know this. And the more mothers respond by not breastfeeding in public, the less the public sees it and the less they are inured to the sight. So the taboo gets stronger.
In fact, even imagining such a society seems absurd, but that is how our current culture is (at least where I've lived at).
How many people who grew up exclusively in an urban setting have seen a cow being milked? I think that's a huge part of the grossness factor. Someone who grew up on a farm and sees cows being milked periodically will think nothing much of it.
And pumping itself is a relatively new phenomenon. Not the ideal way to effect the goal, but a sometimes necessary practical compromise. I can think of plenty of reasons not to like it.