Big Breasts Have Been Popping Up Around London Supporting #FreeTheFeed

Elvie, the company behind the world’s first silent, wearable breast pump recently took London by storm with their giant inflatable breasts as part of the #FreeTheFeed movement.

(Photo Credit: Instagram @elvie)

Since taken down, the installation took place on Mother’s day to promote the destigmatisation of breastfeeding in public, an issue particularly important in London a place where, as the Guardian recently reported, a ‘third of women feel embarrassed breastfeeding in public’.

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With so many women feeling uncomfortable and as though people do not want them to be breastfeeding, it is crucial to try and take away any of the negative stigma attached to nursing.

Elvie’s solution is to try and remove any taboo around the act of breastfeeding by making the source of controversy massively (up to 6 metres tall massively!) visible.

(Photo Credit: Twitter @elvie)

The London campaign has received a lot of traction across news outlets and social media and the CEO of Elvie made this statement to in an article for the Shropshire Star:

“[The Exhibition] is an invitation to everyone to stand with all those women that have felt shamed or confined when breastfeeding or pumping. We know the giant boobs will raise a few eyebrows, but we want to make sure no one overlooks the way this stigma has been used to repress women.”

(Photo Credit: Instagram @elvie)

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Elvie went on to say in a statement on their website:

“Every woman has the right to decide how and where they feed their children without feeling guilty or embarrassed about their parenting choices. #FreeTheFeed is an invitation to stand with all those women that have felt shamed or confined when breastfeeding or pumping.”

(Photo Credit: Instagram @elvie)

The multiple towering breasts came in a variety of skin tones and sizes to promote the diversity of women’s bodies, and were put on display in areas of Shoreditch Grind, Old Street; Village Underground, Holywell Lane; Neutral, Colombia Road; Ely’s Yard, Brick Lane, and Huntington Estate, east London. The installation also comes not long after a similar campaign in Amsterdam back in March promoting the de-objectification of breasts as part of celebrations for International Women’s Day.

(Photo Credit: Twitter @72andSunny)

De-stigmatisation of nursing in public is thankfully on the rise, but there is still quite a controversy around the topic amongst more conservative members of the general public. Not long ago I did a piece on the 1960’s post-partum rulebook that was handed out to new mothers in the 60’s, (which you can actually read here if you missed it) in which there was heavy favouring of bottle feeding.

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It feels strange to be writing yet again about the real need to remove the stigmatisation of something which was being stigmatised against all the way back in the 60s (wow that just makes me feel even older than I already did!). But I guess we’ll just have to keep writing about it until there are no more women left feeling as though they are not free to nurse their child in public or feeling stigmatised against for their life choices.

Let us know if you managed to catch any of the giant inflatable breasts when you were on your way out to get the groceries, and if you want to join in the discussion on this important issue use the hashtag #FreeTheFeed. AAx

 

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