The differences, and similarities, to anti-smoking campaigns, and
pro-breastfeeding ones, have been discussed at great length in Lactnet,
and the archives will yield some fruitful results.
One thing to note however ... the difference between pro and con.
Cigarette companies, and formula companies, work to construct an allure
of desired lifestyle for their commercial products. This is one of the
most fruitful areas of comparison between commercial companies and their
tactics to beguile the consumer. Adverts and promotions do not sell a
product - they sell a lifestyle. Once, the tobacco lifestyle held
hegemonic dominance in the day to day culture - hence the film stars of
the day lighting up to show their excellent and yearned for lifestyle
via their cigarettes. This isn't true anymore, as successive
generations of anti-tobacco health messaging, has reduced the lifestyle
message. And so cigarette advertising has had to adapt. And as it
adapts, the anti-smoking campaign becomes more and more hard hitting, as
it is hitting to the core of those who refuse to give up.
Breastfeeding, however, is utterly alien in this landscape. Formula is
at home, but breastfeeding doesn't equate. Are you compiling an
anti-formula campaign, or a pro-breastfeeding one? These are two very
different options, and we often talk as if they are inter-changeable,
when they are not. This is compounded further, when you add in pro
versus anti 'bottle' to the mix (regardless of content). Bottle culture
kills babies. As we've all discovered recently, it's almost impossible
to have this discussion, without then spilling out into 'formula'
culture and then 'breastfeeding'. (I'm thinking of all the Oxfam people
who viewed the Mel B bottle shot, and then said "What's the problem?")
The issues around babies, motherhood and feeding, are far too complex,
and too inter-dependent, for a simple analogy about smoking campaigns,
to make sense. But, as I said, it's a perfect analogy when you look at
the behaviour of companies trying to sell their product. (So,
cigarettes/formula, works, when tobacco/breastfeeding, doesn't.) And
then you add in that food is a global market - with global profits. All
food is political, and all food manufacturers are campaigning heavily
that 'their' message makes it out on top. That their product is bought,
even if it's by aid agencies to send to Darfur (micro nutrition peanut
butter samples, anyone?) None of the health agencies are immune to this
commercial pressure.
In terms of breastfeeding promotion... are you asking people to walk
away from something bad? Or to walk towards something good? Walking
towards something good, (breast is best) has been seen to be flawed and
contain built in limiters. Mostly, as there is no sense of there being
any negative in the 'staying with the formula' paradigm. Hence we now
try and ask mothers to walk away from something bad, by highlighting the
risks of formula feeding, and of not breastfeeding. And in that, we run
up against those pro-formula people, and we threaten their profits. So
we are back to tobacco being analogous.
I expect most of us understand, and recognise, that this is a feminist
issue. It's to do with the status of children and women being so low in
our society, and the need to control and dominate both the child, and
the mother. And I suspect most of us never thought we'd see it this way
- but at core, lactaphobia is an expression of misogyny. Fear. Fear of
the female, fear of her control, her bodily fluids and her influence.
Fear she will contaminate the male children the patriarchy has to depend
on her to produce. (Patriarchy is not the rule of men, it's the rule of
fathers).
Just read some of the posts here over the past few weeks, to see the
fear of the female body and what it produces, ride out. Female cows
are, apparently, much 'safer' than female humans! (More controllable..?)
So we look end up to looking at making over an entire culture, and
raising the status of the mother, and the child. And that so doesn't
fit into anti-tobacco advertising. :-) But pointing out that tobacco
companies hide the 'facts', as well as formula companies do... does!
Empowerment is the only viable option! Empower the female to take
control of her own infant feeding instincts. Discuss. ;-)
Morgan Gallagher
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