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.

@Escapetothecounty

Last sentence missed off my post: which is exactly the aim of WBAW - to help and support those who want to bf to be able to.

Exactly. And that is what he is missing. Its not a week to shame those who are FF. It is a week to support those that want to breastfeed and may be having struggles.

I'd also like to know how competitively priced this organic formula is... surely if its more than other brands then that's shaming too?

Oh ffs, can't you read? He is saying something that is absolutely true. A lot of women made feel like they are not doing a good job because they are not breastfeeding. And a lot of women are made to feel like shit for breastfeeding? His post basically says we shouldn't be talking about breastfeeding, which is bollocks. Women who formula feed should be able to openly talk about it, women who breastfeed should be able to openly talk about it. We don't need a man coming along telling either group of women to shut up.

This is quite an insight into why the UK restrict advertising of infant formula.

A formula company attacking breastfeeding awareness through undeclared Instagram ads is quite something.

He’s advertising formula the sneaky little shit.

The Instagram post in question has been muted by the looks of things.

@FishfingerFlinger

This is quite an insight into why the UK restrict advertising of infant formula.

A formula company attacking breastfeeding awareness through undeclared Instagram ads is quite something.

Indeed. Grubby as hell.

Clearly the single worst thing about breastfeeding is that it’s free. Followed by only women can do it.

Nothing for mega corporations and men to do but invalidate it.

Babies and women will suffer but who cares as long as people spend money they might not easily afford on formula and bottles and men get to pretend both sexes are equal.

@FishfingerFlinger

This is quite an insight into why the UK restrict advertising of infant formula.

A formula company attacking breastfeeding awareness through undeclared Instagram ads is quite something.

It’s interesting, if you go on to the formula company’s Instagram they’ve also posted the Tan video and there are lots of comments criticising. And the responses in the comments from the formula company include “we think breastfeeding is the gold standard”, which is basically a rewording of breast is best.

@HeyMicky

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.

Yep.

It’s interesting, if you go on to the formula company’s Instagram they’ve also posted the Tan video and there are lots of comments criticising. And the responses in the comments from the formula company include “we think breastfeeding is the gold standard”, which is basically a rewording of breast is best.

So wait... The conversation needs to change so that Tan France's son doesn't feel like a lesser man, but when pushed on it they're also committing to the line "gold standard"?

@Shirleyphallus

I’m really fucking pissed off about this actually, especially all the comments from gay / trans couples saying “I was shamed because I wasn’t able to breastfeed”

No you fucking weren’t. This isn’t about you, it’s about supporting women who choose to breastfeed that don’t have a multi million dollar industry behind them pushing the narrative that formula is better than breast somehow

Mansplaining breastfeeding from a guy who has been a parent for a week? Oh fuck off would you.

Yeah this. Even with the debate about surrogacy aside, you’d think wading into breastfeeding awareness with a formula ad would be an obvious no. The thing is - ok - you’ve used a surrogate, I’m sure your baby will be very loved, but one of the things you can’t do for them is breastfeed. Again, ok, they’ll be fine, but then to make that a way to make money and further the formula companies narrative is 🤯

@FishfingerFlinger

This is quite an insight into why the UK restrict advertising of infant formula.

A formula company attacking breastfeeding awareness through undeclared Instagram ads is quite something.

Yes, this.

I keep thinking about this. I’ve made an effort to keep following people on social media that I don’t necessarily agree with, so I’m not in an echo chamber. I’d seen the posts from Tan about becoming a father. I’d thought ‘I’m not sure what I think about surrogacy but I’m sure they’ll be great parents etc’. And then all the expected fawning posts etc etc and still ‘ok, lovely baby, happy people.’ And now this, it’s like REALLY?

The thing that annoys me most about it is the #shakethestigma
There is no bloody stigma around formula feeding - the majority of babies in the UK and US (I presume these are Tan's audiences) are fed formula. The stigma is with breastfeeding - you're either waving your tits in people's faces, or being all holier than thou, or looking for attention.

Tan claiming the stigma for formula feeders is so far off the mark - claiming victimhood stinks.

I used to like Tan.

Imagine embarking on parenting by making a proclamation like this. Is he being paid?

And who is he?

@KingofQueens

The thing that annoys me most about it is the #shakethestigma There is no bloody stigma around formula feeding - the majority of babies in the UK and US (I presume these are Tan's audiences) are fed formula. The stigma is with breastfeeding - you're either waving your tits in people's faces, or being all holier than thou, or looking for attention.

Tan claiming the stigma for formula feeders is so far off the mark - claiming victimhood stinks.

I used to like Tan.

I don’t think it’s entirely true there’s no stigma around formula feeding - in some demographics whipping out a bottle of Cow & Gate would be as stigmatised as whipping a boob out would be in others.

I know that the idealistic, one-sided narrative about breastfeeding that was pushed in my NCT classes left me completely unprepared (mentally or practically) for having to resort (albeit partially) to formula. I really needed someone to tell me that it was OK, I wasn’t a failure and undo the damage that breastfeeding promotion had done.

So I don’t dispute the general gist of the argument that Tan is making. There’s a time and a place for a conversation about the pressure that is placed on women to breastfeed.

HOWEVER…is it the place of a man to be making it? No. Is it the place of a formula company to be making it? Hell no.

HOWEVER…is it the place of a man to be making it? No. Is it the place of a formula company to be making it? Hell no.

Totally agree with this @FishfingerFlinger

HOWEVER…is it the place of a man to be making it? No. Is it the place of a formula company to be making it? Hell no.

And should he, and the company, be specifically appearing to undermine National Breastfeeding Awareness Month... again, hell, no. Designate another month.

I doubt his narrative anyway .... I had struggles BFing (PCOS, didn't realise that might cause low supply etc) but no one ever grilled me about feeding and certainly never 'how's breastfeeding going'. Well, maybe some people are ruder than those I know but I just can't imagine it's really a thing.

Sadly it's an advert for formula, I thought he was being paid. He should be ashamed of himself. As should the ruthless formula companies

Got to love the confidence of a new father getting feted and paid to advertise his opinions on breastfeeding, vs the new mother without four million followers, who’s just given birth, stitched up and feels like shes been run over by a truck - she’s the one battling late milk, sore nipples and guilt and doubt either way. But yay for Tan!!

Haven’t read the full thread but what strikes me most is the strange pomposity of the gay dad whose baby will never know his own mother let alone have the chance of a lovely, snuggly breastfeed. A child deprived of his mother is infinitely more troubling than an adult offended by other adults’ questions.

Not read the whole thread.

I have really strong feelings about BF the way it's pushed and then no support. Have been shouty on many threads here.

This is a different matter. The place it's coming from is different. It's shit tbh.

This is a topic for women. And that's that.

Read the post again and a bit more of the thread.

I feel strongly this is not the business of men.

Bf is a topic with a massive history, ongoing very heated opinions.

From women.

For a man to post this is just totally completely out of line.

Esp the bit about shutting up about the benefits of bf.

I mean fuck off

He can't bf a baby so naturally just. Dismisses this whole topic.

A fed baby is all that matters?

The impact of pushing formula in areas where clean water is not available and formula is incredibly expensive for many?

This wading in and thinking oh yeah I think this. Here you go ladies! The arrogance and ignorance. Fucks sake.

@wormsarecool

Buying an egg is offensive; renting a womb is offensive. Shouldn't the child know where it has come from?

I’ve been reading a bit more about this formula company ‘Bobbie’. It’s quite interesting. So they are a small start up led by two women who had their own struggles with breastfeeding. Apparently the standard of formula available in the US is shit (full of palm oil and cheap sugars), so there’s a bit of a thing where parents pay to import formula from UK/Europe on an unreliable ‘black market’. So their idea was to make formula in the US to EU standards so parents could reliably get high quality formula. So far so noble in intent, right?

But..they’re also canny business professionals backed by multi-million investors. Their manufacturer is a big formula company who wanted a product aimed at the ‘millennial mum’ and saw the opportunity of partnering with this start up (presumably because their market would buy into the mum-led start up thing rather more than the big formula company thing). Their formula costs 3x what standard US formula costs.

So while there’s clearly a kernel of truth in their spiel, as a business they are also clearly aiming to exploit and grow a very specific market around educated, aspirational and comparatively well-off parents for whom standard formula marketing techniques wouldn’t work. And that means going into very direct competition with breastfeeding. It’s actually quite ruthless