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Infant feeding

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Original poster

European Parliament Elections - Bottle feeding in their advert for 'work life balance'

49 replies

pooter · 09/04/2009 23:33

Has anyone seen these postcards which have the slogan "How should we help balance family and career" and show a laptop and a baby bottle?
here

Surely this flouts the International Code on Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes? It is definitely showing bottle feeding as an aspirational lifestyle choice to enable a work life balance.

anyone want to join me in complaining to their MEP? Just follow the link.

writetothem.com

this is what i wrote - but i just dashed it off, so im sure you could do better

Dear Andrew Duff, Tom Wise, Jeffrey Titford, Richard Howitt, Geoffrey
Van Orden, Robert Sturdy and Christopher Beazley,

I am writing to draw your attention to one of the postcard
advertisements used to promote the 2009 European Parliament Elections.
It has the words "How should we help balance family and careers" and is
illustrated with a picture of a laptop computer and a baby's bottle.

I find it incomprehensible that the European Parliament wishes to be
associated with formula feeding, and indeed promote it as part of
seeking the aspirational 'work-life balance'. Indeed, this postcard
violates the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
of 1981 which member states of the EU have endorsed.

I would appreciate it if you could contact the people responsible for
this advertisement and ask for it to be withdrawn as soon as possible.

OP posts:
Original poster
pooter · 09/04/2009 23:43

come on - you know you want to

OP posts:
mamadiva · 09/04/2009 23:50

Oh dear no that's not so good is it?

Does seem to say you can't work and breastfeed so feck it just work and formula feed.

And before anyone starts on me I am a FF myself but this is pretty shocking!

Original poster
pooter · 09/04/2009 23:51

oh im so glad you think so mamadiva - i was beginning to think i was being too sensitive.

OP posts:
Original poster
pooter · 10/04/2009 15:33

anyone else ?

OP posts:
hereidrawtheline · 10/04/2009 15:37

yes it does make it seem that BFing and working are mutually exlcusive doesnt it. Maybe its expressed?

Anyway will write about it!

hotcrosspurepurple · 10/04/2009 15:42

maybe they used a baby's bottle because they thought it offensive to have a picture of someone's tit?
I have bigger things to worry about, myself, so no, I won't be joining your petition complaining

laumiere · 10/04/2009 16:58

I just assumed it was a bottle of EBM or formula depending on your feeding choices. Was more disturbed that I could identify the make of bottle...

Original poster
pooter · 10/04/2009 19:10

hot cross - how can a picture of someone breastfeeding be offensive?

i appreciate that you and other people have more pressing personal issues, but we do have to monitor the government to make sure they are not contributing to making bottlefeeding the norm by stealth. 1.5million babies die each year because they are not breastfed according to the WHO. i feel that this is a big enough thing for me to worry about.

will someone else please say it concerns them too?

OP posts:
laumiere · 10/04/2009 19:46

Sorry pooter. but I think you're reading a bit too much into this. Even if you are a BFing mum who works, you'd be using some form of expression to feed your baby (and therefore a bottle). I suppose they could use a photo of a breastpump, but not everyone would recognise that.

tiktok · 10/04/2009 20:27

It doesn't matter if it is meant to be expressed breastmilk.

It's irrelevant if the make of the bottle can be distinguised.

The point is that continually using a bottle as an iconic image of parenthood and baby care contributes to the marginalisation of breastfeeding and undermines breastfeeding support by normalising bottle feeding.

So of course the EU should think again .

laumiere · 10/04/2009 21:00

I take your point tiktok, but what would you suggest as an image instead? Isn't the postcard just using the majority of people's experience (and I think it's important to recognise flexible working includes dads too) of combining working and raising kids by using a bottle of their chosen food? (they could have used a baby rattle or sippy cup I suppose).

Also from an aesthetic point of view none of the postcards include people, so denoting breastfeeding specifically in that context would be difficult (hence my musing on a breastpump to link to a woman's right to express).

The comment on the make of bottle was intended lightheartedly as I really did not take offence at this image.

Original poster
pooter · 10/04/2009 21:05

ah tiktok - your sentence

"The point is that continually using a bottle as an iconic image of parenthood and baby care contributes to the marginalisation of breastfeeding and undermines breastfeeding support by normalising bottle feeding"

is exactly what i was trying to say!! thankyou!

OP posts:
joyjac · 10/04/2009 22:43

Well, laumiere, if you were to take the EU as a whole, way more mothers bf than ff, so I don't think the bottle would represent the majority.
I think this is just an example of not thinking - or maybe the PR people come from the UK or Ireland since we bring up the rear in the bf stakes unfortunately

laumiere · 10/04/2009 23:01

So if I can just ask again, what would posters prefer as an iconic image of parenthood, since a breast/BFing image excludes male parents?

Would it have made more sense to use a non-feeding image?

tiktok · 10/04/2009 23:03

Yes, they could have used a baby's rattle, laumiere. There's no need to use anything denoting feeding, as this is, anyway, only a part of a working parent's life with a baby.

StarlightMcEggzie · 10/04/2009 23:05

A teddy?

Original poster
pooter · 10/04/2009 23:21

a cot/a baby/a babygro/tiny bootees?

OP posts:
laumiere · 11/04/2009 11:13

Personally I would prefer something not-baby related, since you can request flexible working until your children are much older....

Original poster
pooter · 11/04/2009 11:54

yes you are right laumiere - there are umpteen images they could have used. Why flout the Code that a lot of member states have signed up to? OK, its not directly harming babies, but it contributes to the underlying message that babies = bottles.

OP posts:
Mark85 · 12/04/2009 13:02

I am a single parent and am interested in having a career. As I do NOT HAVE breasts, (being a guy and all...) I find it sexist of you lot to argue that bottles (the way in which we men have to feed babies) outght not to be used as a symbol for nourishing them.

Mark.

Original poster
pooter · 12/04/2009 17:09

Well i am sorry if you feel marginalised Mark. It is not my intention to offend anyone. However the fact that some parents need to, and some parents choose to bottle feed does not make it OK for governments to portray it as 'normal' or aspirational. Its not the same as breastfeeding and we shouldn't have to apologise for wanting more babies to be fed in the optimal way.

OP posts:
MelanieLiv · 12/04/2009 17:30

I agree pooter & will email my MP. A baby rattle would do the job I think.

Original poster
pooter · 12/04/2009 17:34

Thank you MelanieLiv . I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been more response really. Lets hope everyone is just busy eating choccy eggs

OP posts:
ChairmumMiaow · 12/04/2009 17:39

This says a bit more about why the image is a bad thing : here

tiktok · 12/04/2009 17:57

Oh please. Because men don't have breasts, it is 'sexist' to remind people that formula bottles represent a health risk to infants...?????

Listen, Mark. It's not about you. It's not about men. It's not even about working.

It's about public health and infant health.

Grow up.

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