Request MN Towers - Breastfeeding Calendar for Developing Countries?

[ruty]

I dropped MN Towers an email, but just putting it here in for everyone, including Justine and co. In light of NetMums acceptance of Nestle sponsorship and the resulting threads about it here, i was wondering if we could do something positive to counteract the aggressive marketing of formula to developing countries.
One idea might be a calendar, made up of Mnetters who are currently breastfeeding [they could be shot so anonymity doesn't have to be totally lost if need be], maybe sponsored by a nice company with donations to Save the Children. And perhaps with a bit of publicity we could get the calendar distributed to maternity hospitals in places like Bangladesh.

Any thoughts? Anyone with the right background to help out/advise?

thanks...

We have 5 mums [6 including me] ready to do it so far..

JodieG1
Kiskidee
Tatties
TooTicky
purplemonkeydishwasher

And the 400 doulas sound a great starting point mrs Malumbus!

What about ME ruty

Aren't my boobs good enough for ya?

Mind you I do live in woopwoop. Is everyone else around London?

Ooh sorry Apostrophe didn't realise you were offering! Choose your month why don't you?
[i'm a bit worried no one else is going to offer their services]

I'll do it.

And Hub's an amazing photographer.

It sounds like a great idea for some positive action.

And this is exactly the kind of post which would go nicely in an Activism/Campaign ection

See my proposal in Site-stuff

section

I'm not currently breastfeeding a baby so I'm not able to offer up my body to you.

don't know if you are aware but a calendar has been suggested in charitable events. using mile for Maude pics.

don't know if you are aware but a calendar has been suggested in charitable events. using mile for Maude pics.

sorry didn't know that 2 shoes. Don't want to distract from Mile for Maude at all. So glad Hunker wants to do it though. And Hub would be great as a photographer. A quandary though. Any thoughts on that?

I am still really liking this idea and I think we sohuld aim to raise money but target the calendar here at people like us. If tere is to be a MfM one this may have to step back though.

Nice idea Ruty, and very proactive. Good luck with it.

thanks Dimpledthighs. if there is a MforM one then as you say we should step back. Perhaps next year....

Happy to help in any way.

Would imagine the two things (MFM / Nestlé) are very separate issues / projects, and also that it might be possible to do one or the other in a 'non calendar' form (ie. a poster-style print which is a montage of images, or a notebook with images on the cover, or as an outside print in a nappy bag / fold-out nappy thingy, or on a tote bag etc. etc.).

I think mixing arty with 'normal setting' type shots would be good; it may be interesting to actually try and develop a style / theme - for example creating images where one doesn't see the bf mum straight away IYSWIM - you see some friends at Starbucks, or you see a group of executives at a boardroom table in an office, or you see some people standing around having a drink at a dinner party, or a crowd doing baby massage (etc.) but in each image, one or more people are feeding.... but it doesn't necessarily jump right out when you first look at the image.

Obviously the general thrust of the ideas above would perhaps appeal to Western MNers (the target market) rather than perhaps addressing settings / styles / activities more relevant to women in Bangladesh, but I think possibly trying to do otherwise might not be ideal. I dunno.

Perhaps a travel photographer could be commissioned / persuaded to create a set of images of bf in other cultures / regions, and the two sets of images could be shown together (kind of Benetton stylee).

FWIW, you might prefer to work with a woman photographer on the project, but I am happy to help if I can, and if the brief has been properly thrashed out first !

Some great ideas Hub. i do like the idea of people breastfeeding in social settings so it is just part of life, not the sole focus. I think you'd be great! Just worried about the MforM - but perhaps something that wasn't a calendar would be a good idea...

I think actually a series of posters which could be distribued to hospitals / health centres / baby clinics might be better than a calendar - I don't know if there would be enough variety in the images to keep one's interest over EVERY month for a full year IYSWIM - I imagine most would be striking, but have less ability to hold you for a longer time (if shot in the style I described). It's easy to look at a cute shot of a baby for a month, or an arty shadowy 36+ week pg bump, but looking at a group of people having a coffee isn't quite the same IYSWIM.... all stuff to think about.

here

got to go out but thanks for link and thanks for ideas Hub. Will have a think and any more ideas very welcome...

I'd do it (ds is 2.6)

Love your ideas hub, esp the b/f in a crowd idea. I think one of the issues is that it is a bit "hidden". About 4 people in RL know that I am still feeding ds

LOL Hib, at the thought of sitting looking at a pic of people having coffee...for a MONTH! I see what you mean though!

Do you think that most of the people who buy calendars will already be either BFing, or BF sympathisers, which would mean that although we would raise money, we wouldn't really be raising awareness?

I like the idea of a 'coffee table' book, whcih visitors to my home might be more inclined to look at than they would my calendar. But it would be far more expensive I imagine. What else? Posters would be gerat for raising awareness, but who would pay for them? People don't generally put up BF posters in their homes! I'm trying to think of something that people would pay for, and that lots of people will then see...Postcards/notecards? I don't think I've got it!

We must also make sure that the photos cover the whole age range of babes. If the calendar (or whatever) were 'older baby' heavy, it might not serve the purpose of raising awareness and support amongst non- or anti-BFing people.

Please don't anyone take this as a critisism of mothers who are BFing toddlers, I'm just saying that lots and lots of images of toddlers BFing may not be what the nonBF person needs to se to get them feeling more sympathetic. I guess people find tiny babies BFing less threatening/offensive/whatever it is they have a problem with.

Do you see what I mean? Please, please don't misunderstand me....I'm scared to hit 'post message'!

Then again, if the idea is just to raise money, rather than raise awareness, then it doesn't matter so much. I think we need to clarify the aim of the project.

Hub

Lots of good ideas here. Astrophe, I understand what you mean about too many images of bf toddlers, I thought the same myself.

What about if we have our own photos of us feeding our babies? Could we contribute those to some sort of a project (if they were good enough)

What Hub said about the kind of images that would work on a calendar is interesting. FWIW, I wasn't too keen on the LA calendar, but really liked the BMA one.

Phew!

I agree, would buy something like the baby milk action one, but not the little angels one - it was kind of...I dunn..., made me cringe just a little.

i am not a bf er but can i just say something. My dads church did a calender for this year. he gave me one. and I have to say it is very boring having photos of people I don't know on my kitchen wall.(just thought i would give you a joe public opinion)