Summary: The Benefits Of Breastfeeding

In 2011, president Donald Trump made headlines when he called one of his lawyers “disgusting” after she requested a break to pump her breast milk (Diamond, 2015). This inappropriate connotation is a clear portrayal of the ignorance surrounding breastfeeding, as well as the lack of respect public figures such as Trump hold towards the subject. However, despite the negative attitudes that are commonly associated with breastfeeding, multiple studies have shown the countless advantages breastfeeding provides for the infant, as well as the mother. According to research conducted by the NSW Department of Health, breastmilk is distinctively engineered for infants, and as a result, it comes with numerous health benefits such as lowering the child’s
risk of developing celiac disease, gastrointestinal illnesses, and respiratory tract infection (Allen & Hector, 2005). However, the question still left unanswered is Why, in spite of all the medical evidence supporting breastfeeding, are the attitudes towards it, as well as its portrayal so negative? Although breastfeeding is an important step in ensuring the healthy growth of a child, throughout North America women are constantly being shamed for publicly doing so. In order to end this sexualisation of women’s bodies as well as the stigma surrounding breastfeeding, there must be more representation of it in the media, specifically in television.