Publicity

Breast get lots and lots of publicity and provide publicity for almost anything one can think of: beer, sports and cars. To be usable for those purposes they are pumped, modeled, groomed and broadly exhibited in and on all kinds of public places: museums, TV, magazines, billboards. Breasts are taped into dresses that show waist deep necklines to prevent them from starting their own life. That’s all fine and nobody really seems to care. But now, here come some women who use their breasts for their primary job: to nourish their children. And who do so in public (just like other women feed their children there by bottle and still others show off for entirely other reasons). And while about everybody (health care professionals, administrators and ‘’the public’’) are aware and agree that breast is best for babies, they almost all think it is best done so that they don’t get to see it. Acker (2009) suggests that this negative attitude is based on unfamiliarity, sexist attitudes and over-sexualizing of the breast. Spurles et al (2010) advise that not only the message that breast is best for baby’s health should be promoted, but there should be paid attention towards these cultural views on nursing in public. Boyer (2010) states that activism is appropriate and in this view categorizes ‘’lactivism’’ (lactation activism) as ‘’care work activism’’ and by doing so, puts it on the health care agenda. It is omportant that people are simply exposed more to the sight of women feeding their child at breast: the more you see it, the more common it gets. It’s just the following chapter in feminist history: from public corset banning 100 years ago, via public bra burning and ‘’boss in own pelvis’’ in the flower power era to public breastfeeding now. Breastfeeding is a feminist issue!
An ode to breastfeeding in public:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KU_k6UkrAI
Acker M: Breast is Best…But Not Everywhere: Ambivalent Sexism and Attitudes Toward Private and Public Breastfeeding. Sex Roles, 2009, 61(7):476-490.
Spurles PK, Babineau J: A Qualitative Study of Attitudes Toward Public Breastfeeding Among Young Canadian Men and Women. J Hum Lact 0890334410390044, first published online on December 31, 2010
Boyer K: 'The way to break the taboo is to do the taboo thing' breastfeeding in public and citizen-activism in the UK, Health & Place, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 7 July 2010