A new breastfeeding promotional campaign in Mexico faced a lot of criticism for sexualizing celebrities rather than encouraging mothers to nurse their children.
Breastfeeding ads and promotional campaigns are very essential in Mexico. According to statistics by the World Health Organization, only 14 percent of mothers nurse their children exclusively in the first six months. Reasons for the lack of breastfeeding include long working hours, poverty and poor nutrition.
Unfortunately, a recent breastfeeding promotional campaign that aimed to promote the habit has been surrounded by major controversies. The new campaign showed topless local celebrities, covered only with a banner across their chest that read "No le des la espalda, dale pecho" ("Don't give them your back, give them your breast"). Health advocates argue that the ads sexualize the celebrities more than encouraging mothers to nurse. It gives women an incorrect perception of what motherhood is like, hence, sending out a wrong message.
Some people have also said that the ads resemble portrayal of women in men's magazine.
"It's not only a very terrible campaign in terms of how it looks, but it's also the message that if you don't breastfeed, you are a bad mother and you are the one to blame." And "We were very surprised once the campaign was launched," Regina Tames of the GIRE reproductive rights group told NPR.
The promotional campaign included local celebrities like Mariana Juarez, Cecilia Galliano and Camila Sodi. All these "new mothers" showed off toned tummies, an unrealistic portrayal of women who have just given birth, which added more fuel to the already blazing fire. To top things off, all the women in the advertisements were light-skinned, sparking yet another controversy, according to ABC News.
Mexican model and actress Camila Sodi echoed similar sentiments saying that though she was a part of the ad campaign she wasn't consulted on the final artwork. She also took to Twitter to request people not to associate her with the breastfeeding campaign
"I did not authorize anything, and I think it's in bad taste," she added in her tweet.
According to a TIME report, an unnamed official from the campaign told the Associated Press that the slogan would be reworked and that the next phase of the campaign may include everyday moms rather than celebrities.
Other Ad Campaigns Gone Wrong
In the past, the world has witnessed major bloopers in their ad campaigns. One of the most famous ones was KFC's big "finger licking good" campaign. When the fast food chain entered China, it's slogan translated into "eat your fingers off!"
Pepsi and Coco-cola faced similar fates when they entered the China market. The latter launched a product with a Chinese name that was meant to sound something like "Coco cola" but its printed version translated into "Bite The Wax Tadpole." The company later rectified the mistake and titled the campaign "Happiness in Your Mouth." Pepsi launched a campaign titled "Pepsi Brings You Back To Life." When translated into Chinese, the slogan read, "Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back From The Grave." Thank God no one took the ad seriously!
Parker Pen made a big blunder when it began marketing a ball-point pen in Mexico. The slogan for the campaign was supposed to read "It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you." The company opted to use the word "embarazar" instead of embarrass, which made the slogan translate into "It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant".
The Importance of Breastfeeding
Studies have shown that breastfed babies tend to have less incidence of or less pronounced symptoms of ear infections, respiratory illness, allergies, diarrhea, and vomiting. Such babies rarely suffer from constipation and IQ levels are an average of 8 points higher in children who were breastfed. Girls who are breastfed are at lesser risk for breast cancer later.
Breast feeding benefits for the mother include (according to Women's Heath):
1. Nursing immediately following delivery causes the uterus to contract lessening the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.
2. The uterus of a breastfeeding mother shrinks to its pre-pregnancy size more quickly.
3. Calories are burned while breastfeeding. It takes approximately 20 calories to produce an ounce of milk.
4. Women who nurse their babies for at least 6 months lessen their chances of pre-menopausal breast cancer.
5. Osteoporosis and cervical cancer are less common in women who breastfed.
6. Breast milk is always available, clean, and hence more economical.
