A Pilot Study of the Impact of Brief Exposure to Images of Breastfeeding Mothers on Attitudes Toward Mother's Breastfeeding in Public

Representation Matters: Content Analysis of Breastfeeding Images in a Commercial Stock Image Bank

Several behavioral change theories posit that normative influences contribute to breastfeeding behaviors and disparities. Given that media has historically presented a narrow view of what is deemed normative in human milk feeding, this study describes who and what is represented in breastfeeding images available in a stock image bank, and whether differences exist based on the breastfeeding parent's skin color. Using content analysis, the most relevant 2% (n = 2284) of breastfeeding and lactation images in Adobe Stock were coded for 60 variables within 12 categories, such as skin color, ability, setting, skin exposure, etc. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample, and the Chi-square test of independence and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare images of breastfeeding parents with light and non-light skin color. Most images portrayed breastfeeding parents and breastfed children with light colored skin, only one child, an infant-aged child, and no other person. Scant images included accessories considered non-normative. Light skin parents were more frequently depicted with a wedding ring compared to non-light skin parents. Non-light skin parents were more often photographed outdoors compared to light skin parents. Images of light skin parents more frequently showed breast skin, whereas images of non-light skin parents more often showed nipple and/or areola skin. The paucity of diverse people and portrayals of breastfeeding in many ways mirror, and may even perpetuate, societal breastfeeding challenges and inequities. These findings highlight an immediate need for an expanded library of images showcasing a wider variety of breastfeeding experiences.

The influence of bystander presence on evaluations of public breastfeeding among adults in the United States

BACKGROUND

In general, people tend to support private breastfeeding more than public breastfeeding, and discomfort surrounding public breastfeeding may contribute to sub-optimal rates of breastfeeding in the United States. Few studies have systematically examined situational factors that contribute to (negative) reactions to public breastfeeding. It is unclear whether the physical location or the presence of others is more influential in shaping people's evaluations of public breastfeeding. This study aimed to experimentally investigate the influence of location, bystander presence, bystander gender, and the breastfeeding woman's use of a cover on people's evaluations of breastfeeding images.

METHOD

A sample of adults residing in the United States was randomly assigned to view an image of a breastfeeding woman in an experimental study that examined four independent variables: breastfeeding location (public vs. private), bystander presence (present vs. not present), gender of bystander (male vs. female), and use of a cover (cover vs. no cover). Participants then reported their emotional reactions to, perceptions of, and behavioral intentions toward the breastfeeding woman. In addition, participants completed measures of sexism, traditional gender role endorsement, sexual comfort, body gaze, and breastfeeding knowledge and experience.

RESULTS

Hierarchical regressions revealed no differences between private and public breastfeeding images. Perceptions of the breastfeeding woman were more favorable when she was alone than with others, and when she was covered than when she was not covered. Evaluations tended to be more favorable among participants who scored lower on hostile sexism, higher on benevolent sexism, higher on sexual comfort, and higher on breastfeeding knowledge.

CONCLUSION

The presence of bystanders may be more consequential than the physical location in shaping reactions to public breastfeeding. These findings can be applied to improve support for public breastfeeding, which may contribute to higher breastfeeding rates and the associated public health benefits.

Do Brelfies Help to Normalize Breastfeeding in Public: Lewd or Food?

Often, lack of support results in early termination of breastfeeding compromising infant health. Lactivists argue one way to normalize public breastfeeding is by posting brelfies on social network sites. An online experiment tested a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design. Participants (N = 296) were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions varying the valence of comments or the control where no user comments were present. Most participants posted supportive comments. Compared to participants who only viewed brelfies, those who read any type of comment posted by other users showed negative attributions and emotions to brelfies. A number of other variables were also measured. Identification with other social media users was associated with approval for posting brelfies and supporting mothers. Emotional arousal and cognitive appraisal may be two sources of stigma about comments for brelfies even though people recognize that breastfeeding is an important health issue.

It’s just a breast: an examination of the effects of sexualization, sexism, and breastfeeding familiarity on evaluations of public breastfeeding

Background

Despite the legal right to breastfeed in public, women may be concerned about negative reactions from others, which may in turn impact their decision to breastfeed in public. The current study examined whether women breastfeeding in public (e.g., at a coffee shop) would be evaluated differently than women breastfeeding in private (e.g., at home) and explored several explanations for the possible differences: sexualization of the female breast (including the perceivers’ gender and sexual comfort level, as well as the exposure of the breast while breastfeeding), sexist attitudes, and familiarity with breastfeeding.

Methods

In August 2018, 506 adult participants, residing in the United States and recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk, were randomly assigned to view an image of a woman breastfeeding (or not) while wearing a cover (or not), in a private or public location. Participants then completed measures of their emotional responses, perceptions, and behavioral intentions toward the woman in the image as well as their sexual comfort level, hostile and benevolent sexism, and knowledge of and experience with breastfeeding.

Results

People had more favorable evaluations of breastfeeding (vs. non-breastfeeding) women, especially when they had greater sexual comfort, were more knowledgeable about breastfeeding, and were parents with at least one child who was breastfed. The location (public vs. private) and the presence or absence of a cover did not differentially influence evaluations of breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding women, nor did participants’ gender or level of sexist attitudes.

Conclusions

In general, people’s evaluations of breastfeeding appear to be favorable to the degree that the location of the breastfeeding is not particularly relevant to those evaluations.