Breasts. Leaking milk. Nipples. They all go hand in hand when it comes to breastfeeding. However, many media buyers aren’t too keen on showcasing the whole picture.
Just ask the team behind ‘The Boob Life,’ a digital ad campaign for Tommee Tippee who have had to jump through hoops after their breastfeeding ad was deemed inappropriate and subsequently banned.
‘The Boob Life’ uncensored
The video advertisement (see the full version below) goes live today after it was banned by multiple advertising platforms due to its uncensored depiction of real women breastfeeding.
The main issue? Nipples.
Yep. Lots of nipples. In a breastfeeding advertisement. I know. The horror.
The ad, which focuses on the importance of feeding, including breastfeeding, puts mums first, front and centre. And, as anyone who has ever breastfed an infant before knows, breastfeeding DEPENDS ON NIPPLES.
But the uncut ad was rejected in its original form and slapped with an M rating “due to the numerous shots of nudity” by Australia’s ad review platform ClearAds. It was also labelled as “adult content” by Facebook.
According to Tommee Tippee’s Marketing Manager, Vanessa Gonzalez,
“The fact that it’s 2021 and advertisers are still calling breastfeeding women inappropriate is a worrying indicator of how we as a nation are treating mums.
We know from our research that 93% of mums feel the emotional, mental and physical challenges of infant feeding are under-acknowledged by society. It’s disappointing that advertisers aren’t down to help normalise the conversation around breastfeeding.”
See the uncensored banned breastfeeding ad here:
Motherhood, in all it’s messy, leaky glory
The banned breastfeeding ad video is pretty powerful if you ask us – it includes a diverse cast and a wide variety of feeding experiences. A child lungeing for the nipple, a mum squeezing milk into a pump, another mum attaching the pump to the nipple – all part of the whole breastfeeding experience but not visuals we normally see in ads.
These are images we SHOULD be able to see. Because they are real and raw and part of the whole messy new mummy experience. Leaky nipples, wet maternity bras, boobs out, daggy knickers, lots of skin on skin with baby – yep. Open the door to ANY new mum’s house and this is what it actually looks like.
Censored version online from today
The full-length version of the ad is available on Tommee Tippee’s website and the 15-second shortened and censored version hits social media platforms today. This is the only version Facebook would accept. Seriously, Zuckerberg. Aren’t you a dad???
Have a look at the censored version below to see the difference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt050pjlZfM
Censoring ‘The Boob Life’ only reinforces outdated attitudes towards feeding that create damaging situations for mums. It sends a message that something is wrong or shameful about what they are doing when in actual fact they should feel proud and confident with how their body is changing as they enter motherhood,” Vanessa Gonzalez says.
“If just one mum walks away feeling more confident and accepted for who she is after watching ‘The Boob Life’, then we’ve done our job right.”
Kudos to ‘The Boob Life’ for showing it how it is, despite the hurdles.
