Normalise Nursing

teta & teta, an NGO that fights for the normalisation of breastfeeding, shifted the conversation from women’s rights to infants’ needs. Working with sculptor Cristina Jobs, it created a giant 3D baby that cried until a law to protect public breastfeeding was passed. It shows how a shift in emphasis can provoke change: four days after its placement, the Ministry of Equality got in touch with the NGO to help draft legislation to protect breastfeeding mothers.

A Colombian movement fighting against breastfeeding shame tackled taboos around nursing. It partnered with brands to place breastfeeding mannequins in 100 stores in shopping malls, including Michael Kors and Desigual. It generated 1m impressions in the first 24 hours, showing how partnerships with high-profile brands can help to build up the confidence of nursing mothers.

With breastfeeding still a harmful taboo in France, young maternity wear brand Frida stepped out of its lane with an optical illusion that transformed magazine readers into breastfeeding people. With the hashtag #theuncover, the social media movement prompted more than 44,000 petition signers and a 30% uplift in Frida’s sales. And most importantly, hundreds of public places labelled themselves as breastfeeding-friendly. It shows how to catapult what some may deem a ‘niche’ issue into a universal concern.

Kind en Gezin, a Flemish government child and family service, created a casting agency for breastfeeding television extras. It reached 20 million people, and the first extras have already made their debut in popular Flemish TV shows. It demonstrates how to integrate breastfeeding into popular culture.

Nearly two thirds – 64% – of women in Mexico don’t breastfeed in public due to fear of prejudice. So UNICEF created an anonymous video showing the verbal abuse directed at a mother breastfeeding in a park. Within 72 hours, the video had generated more than 6m views. It shows the power of using a mother’s real experience to confront unacceptable behaviour.

In China, only 30% of mothers choose to breastfeed their babies. To promote a breastfeeding society, UNICEF introduced an app where mothers could locate one of the 437 designated breastfeeding rooms donated by businesses across 62 cities. It shows how brands and businesses can support women in a pragmatic way when they would prefer to nurse in private.