This ad for nipple cream from Boots, a large pharmacy chain in the U.K., has attracted some protest. In case you can't make it out, the baby in this picture is stretching the mother's breast into the next county. The text at the bottom says, "For the first time in my life I wish I had three nipples."
In spite of the protests from from the National Childbirth Trust and Association of Breastfeeding Mothers, the Guardian reports that the ad has been approved the the Advertising Standards Authority. The Guardian reports:
Complainants said the ads were misleading because they implied that sore nipples were normal when breastfeeding, whereas in fact it was usually due to incorrect feeding techniques.
The complainants added that the ad was misleading because Boots positioned its cream as the only product that could alleviate the problem of sore nipples.
They also argued that the ads were irresponsible, because they might discourage new mothers from seeking professional guidance about correct feeding, and offensive because they presented an "unfair and negative image of breastfeeding".
Boots said the ads were designed to look at a problem commonly experienced by mothers in a "light-hearted and humorous way".
In its ruling, the ASA said breast-feeding mothers were likely to be "reasonably well informed" about the causes of sore nipples through antenatal classes and literature.
I'm curious about your views on this. Are the protestors right that this ad could scare women away from breastfeeding, or convince them that pain they experience is normal and dissuade them from seeking help? Or are they giving mothers too little credit? Is it just a lighthearted and hip look at what, unfortunately, is a common experience, especially for women who don't get good help early on.
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