'When Nurture Calls' Campaign Depicts Mothers Breastfeeding In Filthy Bathrooms In Effort To Combat Feeding Stigma
Art students at the University of Northern Texas came together to promote their new pro-breastfeeding campaign called “When Nurture Calls.” They’re fighting against the idea that women should be shamed into breastfeeding in the bathroom, despite many state laws allowing it publicly.
The ads show moms cramped in dirty bathrooms breastfeeding their newborns. The point is to drive in the idea that breastfeeding in public shouldn’t be looked down upon and to push for the HB 1706, which is a bill pending legislation in the state of Texas that would protect breastfeeding mothers from harassment and discrimination.
Jonathan Wenske and Kris Haro were the two students who designed the ads with the goal of gaining support for the bill. They write on their online portfolio called Behance, "Would you eat here? By law, breastfeeding mothers are not protected from harassment and refusal of service in public, often forcing them to feed in secluded spaces such as public bathrooms. Contact your state and/or local representative to voice your support for breastfeeding mothers, because a baby should never be nurtured where nature calls."
The students currently don’t have funding or any plans for their ads to be used for a broader campaign. "It means we did our jobs right as art directors in creating a campaign that is getting real responses, and as students, it's been a wonderful feeling," Wenske told The Huffington Post.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, only five states and Puerto Rico have implemented or encouraged the development of a breastfeeding awareness education campaign; they are: California, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and Vermont. Overall though, almost every state (45 to be exact) allows women to breastfeed in public.