Dove UK got so much negative feedback for their campaign saying that 25% of people want you to “put them away” that they had to pull the ad. In the BBC article discussing the backlash, they quoted Emma Pickett, from the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers, saying “It’s not anyone’s ‘way’ to oppose it unless they fancy going to court or criminal action, and it’s insulting to imagine that mums who formula feed automatically sympathise with people who dislike breastfeeding in public. “This message intimidates new mums and that means increased isolation and greater risk of postnatal mental health issues.”
I personally loved how groups like www.breastfeedingaversion.com took action in boycots and negative press to make sure women know that a stupid only poll statistic thrown onto a poster doesn’t actually mean that 25% of people would crassly tell you not to feed your baby.
I’ve breastfed in 12 states, over the course of 4.5 cumulative years of baby feeding, and I’ve never once been told to “put them away.”
So I promise, their statistic shouldn’t scare you.
Nurse away, mamma.
