10-11-97

AXA / Equitable:

A fellow mediawatcher told me of your tv ad with a boy growing up, all
through the ages, and your logo showing in all the scenes.  I wonder if
you would consider changing the scene of the little boy in the nursery
being bottlefed by his father (with your logo on the bottle), to a scene
of the father watching the mother breastfeed their baby?

You may not realize that artificial (formula) feeding carries much
greater health risks for infants, children, and even their mothers.   You
may think that the breastfeeding vs bottlefeeding decision is a choice
that each mother must make for herself, and that you would not want to
take a stand on such issues.  However, by placing baby feeding bottles in
your ads, you are in fact promoting the artificial feeding method.  The
feeding bottle as a symbol for babies is very pervasive in the media.  I
would like to see that changed.  Think about it - this symbolism does
send a message to consumers, just as cigarettes or alcohol in an ad for
another product (such as a car) can be construed as promoting the use of
cigarettes or alcohol.  By the way, cigarettes and alcohol are legal, but
carry many, many health risks.  The same can be said for artificial
feeding.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetrics
and Gynecology, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, the World Health
Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
and many other health organizations actively promote breastfeeding -
including to 2 years and beyond - because it is recognized as the optimum
way to feed human infants.  The Healthy People 2000 goals for our nation
include increasing breastfeeding initiation and duration.  Therefore, I
would love to see breastfeeding depicted in all media as the normal and
natural way to feed babies and ask that you consider this in future
advertising.

Sincerely,
Laurie Wheeler, RNC, MN, IBCLC
Louisiana Breastfeeding MediaWatch Campaign
Violet LA 70092
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Note: The Louisiana Breastfeeding MediaWatch Campaign is part of the
National Breastfeeding MediaWatch Campaign, sponsored by the Texas Dept
of Health, an ongoing project of the Bureau of Clinical and Nutrition
Services.  For more information, contact Ms. Laurie Coker, Breastfeeding
Promotion Specialist, at (512) 406-0744.