Tan France dismissing Breast Milk

[LizziesTwin]

This was on my Instagram feed this morning and has made me so angry. He and his partner rented a womb and bought an egg from a woman and are now knocking breast feeding.

I've also quite a lot of threads, over the years, on MN about how the 'breast is best' message is divisive, leaves some women feeling bad because they haven't succeeded (for whatever reason) and that mesasures from HCPs to promote breast-feeding leave then feeling awful, and second-best.

There are clear health reasons why human milk is better for newly born humans than modified cows milk, so breastfeeding isn't promoted capriciously - it's an evidence based public health initiative.

Leaving aside this tweet, why is it that the promotion of breast-feeding attracts such complaint? Should there be differences in approach to make the public health campaign more effective? If so, what should they be?

“It’s time to evolve the conversation to further the cause of male supremacy”

It's an ad for formula milk. There are several US celebrity spokeswomen also splashed all over the media knocking breastfeeding - they are clearly being paid a significant amount to do so. The issue is formula marketing rather than Tan France's (or Kelly Stafford's etc) person views on breastfeeding.

It hadn't occurred to me that it might be an attempt to undermine the advertising ban. Obviously not in the sense of prompting one brand, rather a nudge towards modified cows milk as a positive choice, rather than the useful back up

My other issue with celebrities with access to money, kettles etc knocking breast feeding is that poor women may not be able to access clean water or enough formula. There are many reasons why WHO promote breast feeding.

If it’s an ad, shouldn’t it be marked as such? Don’t people get into trouble with unlabelled sponsored posts?
Pissed me right off too seeing it this morning

Ugh this has made me so angry. What a dick.

Men are suddenly baby feeding experts now. Is there nothing left that men can’t try and take over?

To be honest, I find your ‘renting a womb’ and ‘buying an egg’ far more offensive. I too am concerned about surrogacy but there’s no need to describe it in this way as it could be deeply upsetting to the baby as they grow up.

I’ve commented. I commented on his other post thanking him for thanking the surrogate mother. He’d missed off the mother part but I’m sure he knew that she was the biological MOTHER of their most precious ‘gift’.

The resentment of women is never ending.

Wait, are awareness weeks for minority groups a bad thing now? Divisive? Interesting....

@Wormsarecool

To be honest, I find your ‘renting a womb’ and ‘buying an egg’ far more offensive. I too am concerned about surrogacy but there’s no need to describe it in this way as it could be deeply upsetting to the baby as they grow up.

On the contrary, I find it important to use language that reflects the reality of a situation. Too often “surrogacy” is spoken of in terms of altruism, when the reality is that it’s highly exploitative of women, especially poor women and women of colour, and is a further manifestation of rampant capitalism.

@Summerhillsquare

The resentment of women is never ending.

Yes, that's why I mentioned other earlier MN threads, from women, because that shows that women are just as resentful and have been articulating that (including here) for years. But when it is women expressing resent and dissatisfaction with the public health messaging, who's listening?

(I do of course mean the nature of the message, not the substance of it)

I’ve just checked and I think my comment -about thanking them for thanking the mother was deleted.

Encouraging breast feeding isn’t on their agenda for a reason, they can’t

GCAcademic

On the contrary, I find it important to use language that reflects the reality of a situation. Too often “surrogacy” is spoken of in terms of altruism, when the reality is that it’s highly exploitative of women, especially poor women and women of colour, and is a further manifestation of rampant capitalism.

I absolutely agree with your views about surrogacy, I’m just also mindful of the future wellbeing of the baby involved. Out of interest, how would you describe adoption?

Worms, I think it is important to describe the process of surrogacy as is.

And as for being told to shush about the benefits of breast milk... Way back in the grey mists of the last decade, this was my first experience of being asked to overlook science in order to spare the feelings of others; being flamed, blamed and bullied for daring to celebrate the many benefits of breastfeeding

Ivy, that is right, they can't. Lots of women can't, or elect not to. But this does not mean it is necessary to undermine breastfeeding as a proven better option. A parent feeling guilty, regretful or worried does not change the evidence-based case for the benefits of breastfeeding and breastmilk. Breastfeeding needs promoting, not some dude framing it as unevolved (which is essentially what he's doing).

@YouWereGr8InLittleMenstruators

Ivy, that is right, they can't. Lots of women can't, or elect not to. But this does not mean it is necessary to undermine breastfeeding as a proven better option. A parent feeling guilty, regretful or worried does not change the evidence-based case for the benefits of breastfeeding and breastmilk. Breastfeeding needs promoting, not some dude framing it as unevolved (which is essentially what he's doing).

Exactly this. I wasn't able to breastfeed and I felt a huge amount of sadness about this. I am still able to recognise that breastfeeding is what is best for a baby and that breastfeeding is something to be celebrated.

The video links to a formula company at the end, which is also tagged in the text (below where the screenshot is).
It also links to a website called how is feeding going.com which has stories from people who didn’t/couldn’t breastfeed and talks about being supportive. All fine, but then at the bottom its clear the website is also run by the same formula company.

So it’s all just an ad for that brand.

I agree that fed is best (I was desperate to BF and never succeeded) but this is just waffle

It’s almost a defence of “I know we paid for our baby and all, and yes I know we cant BF because we took that baby from its mum, but I don’t care. BF is bollocks. FF wins”

The issue if making women who aren't able to breastfeed feel guilty would be better solved by less of a one size fits all approach from HCPs not by pretending that breastmilk isn't the normal food for babies.

Came on looking for this discussion.

Every part of this is shit: coopting a breast feeding campaign to push formula; a false equivalency that raising awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding is the same as shaming formula feeding; a poorly disclosed ad; and a man who was never going to breastfeed wading into the conversation.

@Wormsarecool

GCAcademic

On the contrary, I find it important to use language that reflects the reality of a situation. Too often “surrogacy” is spoken of in terms of altruism, when the reality is that it’s highly exploitative of women, especially poor women and women of colour, and is a further manifestation of rampant capitalism.

I absolutely agree with your views about surrogacy, I’m just also mindful of the future wellbeing of the baby involved. Out of interest, how would you describe adoption?

Adoption has nothing to do with surrogacy, this is a disingenuous question

Ugh this is definitely an ad for formula -check out instagram.com/bobbie?utm_medium=copy_link