India Knight "Stop breast-beating, sisters" - comment on charities' complaints re OK! article

[SueW]

In today's Times

Why can't they understand it's about underhand advertising?

[fishie]

hmm well i never have or would attack anyone for their feeding choices. i am disgusted with india because she should know better not because of what milk she gave her children.

[Katy44]

huge x post
whew, need a lie down

[WideWebWitch]

Katy44, you have a point re Jordans breasts, I agree with you there, it is a shame if they are seen as purely sexual things and not as 'appropriate' for feeding babies as a result. And as a society we have some pretty screwed up views, I agree, when we berate mothers for bfeeding in public and yet think the likes of Nuts and Zoo are ok in public (not that I DO think they're ok btw but as a society we seem to have decided they're fine, more's the bloody crying pity)

[MrsJohnCusack]

well surely if we all think Jordan is so awful, she isn't a great advert for formula feeding anyway...

I DO object to any abuse of the law re formula advertising, but I don't care about JOrdan's views on breastfeeding and whether she thinks it's unpleasant or not - up to her. I don't buy anything about her being a role model who should be setting a good example - I think things went tits up on that front a long time ago

'Comment' pieces need no balance or point - they're just for people, preferably opinionated ones, to express their views and spark off discussion. I think IK is spouting her usual mix of sense and utter shite but that's what she's paid for

[ScummyMummy]

No one would have noticed the advert if the NCT and friends hadn't kicked up a fuss, I bet. I liked the article, though am not bothered either way about how people feed their babies. Particularly liked this:

"(plus, breast-feeding is a middle-class thing and there is something revolting about middle-class types banging on about breast being best to their ignorant, deluded working-class sisters. They know how to have children, too, amazingly. Leave them alone)."

It's what bugs me about so many "lifestyle" and foodie pundits around at the moment. Hugh Fernley Whitingwhateverhisnameis and Jamie Oliver and honey you're killing your kids and poor women you are fat and all those lot. Yeah yeah organic food is lovely and breast milk is an elixir and exercise is good and reading can be usefully encouraged as an alternative to playstation now and then but please lose the preachy tone when you are powerful in the mix and directing your message to those who are not.

[WideWebWitch]

Agree MrsJC, that's what she's paid for. If we all had no view on her piece she wouldn't be doing her job.

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

Wonder if there should be something else thrown into this discussion, lets face it Jordan fortune is based/originated from the appearance of her breasts, which are bound to change if breastfeeding, would she be thinking she was risking her future income if BF?

Just a thought...

[Judy1234]

I think most people do understand the issues. I have virtually never seen a baby bottle fed and never personally even gave any of my five a bottle because I'm middle class and live in London. I expect where Jordan is from she hardly ever saw a baby breastfed.

India K didn't feed her 3 so she's just trying to justify her position. Her article reads as wrong anyway. She seems to be saying it doesn't matter if rules are broken. That's not a very good position to try to argue from. If she thinks the rules are bad then she should lobby to change them, lobby to have all mothers given bottled milk, ban any pro breastfeeding bias etc

[MyMILisDoloresUmbridge]

India Knight is quick enough to judge people who put their children into nurseries. But that's another kind of judging so thats OK I suppose...

[gess]

ONly half read article & responses here, read enough to agree with cod, & even more so www- really cannot get worked up how mother's feed their babies. I thought half of mumsnet thought KP was a terribly role model anyway- why care how she feeds her baby.

[gess]

PMSL @ gdg's 9.28 post below:

'toxic, triumphantly judgmental people'

Describes a few people on MN down to a tee I think.

[Pruners]

Message withdrawn

[Katy44]

good point mjc and pruners that this was written to get a rise out of people
and i rose

[Tamum]

I agree with Xenia. And that's not a sentence I say every day. I thought that about nurseries, too, MyMIL.

[MrsJohnCusack]

am with you pruners, also sceptical as to whether it's all her real opinion

Columnists have to write stuff that winds people up. That's why Jeremy Clarkson has one.

[Tamum]

Oh, and now I agree with Pruni too.

[ib]

I think the problem which seems to be missed quite often is that mothers who want to breastfeed need support, and this is often not forthcoming. I'm in France, where there is no 'breast is best' policy at all, and I wanted to breast feed.

While no-one claimed to try and stop me breastfeeding I was told things by medical professionals which if I had believed would have made it impossible for me to bf.

As it was, I was (I feel) coerced into topping up with formula - with disastrous results (ds is allergic to cow's milk)

So while I frankly don't give a damn how others feed their babies I do think that the pro-formula campaign needs to be restricted in order to protect women's right to breastfeed if they so choose

[amidaiwish]

would we all feel so strongly about SMA underhand advertising (which is the issue with the OK/Jordan thing imo) if breastfeeding was granted the same advertisting support/ funding/ expertise/ assistance? i think not...

[expatinscotland]

Well, I admit I've only read one of her books - not my genre - but I agree with her on this.

I found it a well-written article myself. I have to say, she is well-written and I do read her weekly column.

[expatinscotland]

But actually, I think gess should write her column for a change, because she articulated what I meant to say far better .

[Cammelia]

I breastfed my dd1 for 6 weeks only and then bottle fed her.

I breastfed my dd2 for 6 months until she weaned herself off and she didn't have a bottle, ever.

Although my dd1 and dd2 are by different fathers and different marriages,

they have enjoyed (so far) the same level of (good) health, the same level (so far) of educational ability/achievement,the same level of attainement of developmental milestones etc etc etc

So what's the big deal

[Tutter]

By iCod on Sun 12-Aug-07 09:14:04

i htink breastfeeding is badly "taught" btu that my only great opnion on it and tbh i dont knwo a soul who IS breasfeeding atm

[missgriss]

I don't believe it is just purely middle-class women who breastfeed. I come from a working-class area and I know plenty of breast feeding mums.

I bf DS for only a couple of days before giving in and switching him to formula, although I felt guilty about it for ages. DD was bf for 11 months as this time I was prepared for it (and didn't feel as ill as what I did with DS)

It is quite an interesting article by India, but she spoils it with her little digs and snide remarks.

[hunkermunker]

Can MN Towers get IK back on here for another live chat, please?