Anyone else not impresses with the 2008 World Breastfeeding Theme?

[Pam_and_Abigail]

I just got an email from my local BFI (breastfeeding friendly initiative) group. The theme for next year is "Going for Gold", in light of the Beijing Olympics.

Breastmilk is the gold standard in infant feeding, according to the promo, and we all know mama's milk is like liquid gold.

But here's where I'm bothered. In the Olympics, only the best of the best, just a select few at the top, get to bring home the Gold. Doesn't this set up breastfeeding as some kind of unattainable goal, only for the top achievers? Maybe I'm being to picky and analytical, but I thought there might be someone here who might agree with me. Or maybe I'm misinterpreting the message.

What do you all think of the message behind this campaign?

http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/

[menomena]

I agree.

The watch your language article talks very well on this.

[justJen]

It's probably to late to change it, but I emailed them this note anyway.

I saw on your site that you've selected "Going for the Gold" as your 2008 theme. While I can appreciate the tie-in to the Olympics, as a breastfeeding mom and lactivist, I'm concerned that the implication of this slogan is that breastfeeding is something extremely difficult and which only a very few attain. I encourage you to read Diane Weissinger's article "Watch Your Language" (http://www.bobrow.net/kimberly/birth/BFLanguage.html). The vast majority of mothers don't expect to be raising Olympic athletes. I worry that this link between Olympic gold and breastfeeding may be counterproductive to encouraging more mothers to breastfeed. Thank you for your important work, and for your consideration to this wording issue.

[nyxx]

Originally Posted by Pam_and_Abigail

The theme for next year is "Going for Gold", in light of the Beijing Olympics.

Breastmilk is the gold standard in infant feeding, according to the promo, and we all know mama's milk is like liquid gold.

to me it's not like liquid gold. gold is something rare and valuable. but our milk? there's plenty of it, we produce so much, it's just a matter of supply and demand. don't get me wrong, i'm not talking about women with low supply problems, i'm talking about the more metaphorical picture. saying that our milk is like gold is the same as saying that nursing is only for the top achievers.

But here's where I'm bothered. In the Olympics, only the best of the best, just a select few at the top, get to bring home the Gold. Doesn't this set up breastfeeding as some kind of unattainable goal, only for the top achievers?

and they need a coach, manager, sponsor, maybe doping... nothing for us, the non-competitive, recreational amateurs (= normal mothers). only the fittest will be able to nurse, all the others are passive athletes and couchpotatoes who use formula. nursing is not for the masses, only for the best...
[/irony off]

Maybe I'm being to picky and analytical, but I thought there might be someone here who might agree with me.

i totally agree with you, and when i read the motto first i was wondering why they chose it. they had "Exclusive Breastfeeding: the Gold Standard" in 2004. it's the same semantical problem. these slogans are as stupid as "breast is best". :

Or maybe I'm misinterpreting the message.
What do you all think of the message behind this campaign?

they use a different picture. their focus is not the mother, but the baby:

As every country sends its best athletes to compete at these global games, it is important to remind ourselves that, in a similar fashion, a healthy young athlete can only emerge from a healthy start on life. There is no question that optimal infant and young child feeding is essential for optimal growth and development.

but to me that's a very weak picture, easy to be misunderstood.

[rmzbm]

I agree.

[delphiniumpansy]

The OP's link does not look great on my computer so I cannot read it in full. Is it the same week as the olympics? Sounds like they are just trying too hard to be cutesy. I agree that some are not concerned about raising an olympic athlete and therefore tying in breastmilk and the olympics seems odd. But, maybe they are just trying too hard to have the same olympic theme? Maybe it is hard to come up with themes?

[Momma Aimee]

i don't think so

GOING for the Gold .. we are ALL GOING for it, giving it our all, doing our best for our babies (and toddlers) ...we are GOING, we are TRYING, we are SEEKING the best ..........

I think the idea isn't ONE GOLD pin, for ONE winner ....... it is the "challange yourself to shoot for the best".

Like shoot for the stars ... go for the gold is a pretty establish phrase that means set your goals HIGH and don't wimp out and accpt something else jsut cuz it seems easier .....

sound pretty good to me ......go for it, BF, keep trying no matter what chalalnges you encounter, don't sell yourself short and settle......

AImee

[LittlePeanut]

I like Amiee's spin on the theme. I can see both sides though.

LP

[CathMac]

Originally Posted by Momma Aimee

...
GOING for the Gold .. we are ALL GOING for it, giving it our all, doing our best for our babies (and toddlers) ...we are GOING, we are TRYING, we are SEEKING the best ..........

I think the idea isn't ONE GOLD pin, for ONE winner ....... it is the "challange yourself to shoot for the best".

Like shoot for the stars ... go for the gold is a pretty establish phrase that means set your goals HIGH and don't wimp out and accpt something else jsut cuz it seems easier .....
...

I understand what Aimee is saying. I think there is an implied mixed metaphor here. In some arenas --including BF'ing-- we can all aspire to a gold standard: e.g.: if I make it to my "golden" years it doesn't mean that you won't.

If I were too let the theme bother me it would be due to the possible inference that BF'ing is a competition and that there is one true "gold" standard: e.g. 6 months of exclusively BF'ing &/or 1 year of BF'ing overall; or for the "crunchy" types 2 years; and for the die hard crunchy types upwards of 5 years or more.

So in my mind metaphors like this work when you don't think of the participants as competitors against anyone else or against a particular standard, but rather as individuals going for a "personal best" and that the glory is in being in the arena in the first place. Unfortunately "going for your personal best" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

JMO, ~Cath

[Momma Aimee]

I understand what Aimee is saying. I think there is an implied mixed metaphor here. In some arenas --including BF'ing-- we can all aspire to a gold standard: e.g.: if I make it to my "golden" years it doesn't mean that you won't.

I think -- in this situation, as in many -- we are only "up adginst" ourselves .... It is not me winning vs you looseing ... it is each of us setting our own standard and accepting nothing less, for ourseves personally .....

I think the Going for Gold is just a language short cut -- like the Just DO IT thing ........ we all know there is a lot more to BF (and everything esel) --mentally, physckally, and socially than just doing it .. but it is a motto a catch phrase ... it is a small motivational clip meant to remind you of a long invoved idea ....

I think you can find fault with any theme that has to be reduced to a catch phrase ..........

A

[somasoul]

I like the "going for Gold" theme.

Are you being too analytical? I can say with a resounding voice: "NO!!!". I'm mean, it's "GOING".........it's a quest. While only one competitor in any one event can actually win the derned gold.........ALL THE PLAYERS ARE GOING FOR IT!!!! Aren't you "going for gold" or do you compete with you obejective being to fail in some embarrassing manner?

You got bogged down in being "analytical" and delving into symantics. But instead of taking the phrase at face value you applied your personal views of what the "Gold Standard" was.......something only for a few. This is of course not what the phrase "going for gold" means, nor is it the intent. Obviously, it means "trying to be the best".

Some people, me thinks, get so involved in pet projects, that they miss the point. This is why most "activist" groups can't agree on anything. They argue over piddly stuff that has no real meaning because they, and only they, can be right, BY-GOLLY!!! Of course, the movement istelf gets weakened over these silly sqaubbles.

[MilkTrance]

I don't like it.

[Breastfeeding Insomniac]

Originally Posted by Momma Aimee

i don't think so

GOING for the Gold .. we are ALL GOING for it, giving it our all, doing our best for our babies (and toddlers) ...we are GOING, we are TRYING, we are SEEKING the best ..........

I think the idea isn't ONE GOLD pin, for ONE winner ....... it is the "challange yourself to shoot for the best".

Like shoot for the stars ... go for the gold is a pretty establish phrase that means set your goals HIGH and don't wimp out and accpt something else jsut cuz it seems easier .....

sound pretty good to me ......go for it, BF, keep trying no matter what chalalnges you encounter, don't sell yourself short and settle......

AImee

ITA

[Equuskia]

Originally Posted by somasoul

I like the "going for Gold" theme.

Are you being too analytical? I can say with a resounding voice: "NO!!!". I'm mean, it's "GOING".........it's a quest. While only one competitor in any one event can actually win the derned gold.........ALL THE PLAYERS ARE GOING FOR IT!!!! Aren't you "going for gold" or do you compete with you obejective being to fail in some embarrassing manner?

You got bogged down in being "analytical" and delving into symantics. But instead of taking the phrase at face value you applied your personal views of what the "Gold Standard" was.......something only for a few. This is of course not what the phrase "going for gold" means, nor is it the intent. Obviously, it means "trying to be the best".

Some people, me thinks, get so involved in pet projects, that they miss the point. This is why most "activist" groups can't agree on anything. They argue over piddly stuff that has no real meaning because they, and only they, can be right, BY-GOLLY!!! Of course, the movement istelf gets weakened over these silly sqaubbles.

I don't think the OP is being too analytical or semantical. If you note on the webpage it says this:

As every country sends its best athletes to compete at these global games, it is important to remind ourselves that, in a similar fashion, a healthy young athlete can only emerge from a healthy start on life. There is no question that optimal infant and young child feeding is essential for optimal growth and development.

By saying breastfeeding is optimal, it does leave open the possibility that formula is pretty good. Breastfeeding isn't optimal, it's natural and normal. It's what all mammals do. This isn't like "My son couldn't get into Harvard, which is the best, but he got into state university, which is pretty darn good!" If breastfeeding were made to be the standard, the normal thing to do, then formula will start to be considered as inferior.

I'm sure you've seen the formula ads and commercials. They all pay lip service to breastfeeding: "Breast is best, but if you can't, use our stuff! It's just as good!"

OT, I did like to slogan "Babies were born to breastfeed." I think it takes the "choice" part of breastfeeding out, and presents it as something babies were made to do, which they were, because they weren't born to drink cow's milk or soy with oils and sugar out of a plastic teat.

[Pam_and_Abigail]

Well, I think it's fair to say that different people are going to interpret the message differently.

[justJen]

I wrote to WABA to ask about this theme and express my concern, and received this response (reprinted with permission):

Thank you for taking time to write to WABA with your thoughts on the theme of next year's World Breastfeeding Week.

Basically there are some of the reasons for selecting the slogan of Mother Support:Going for the Gold -

1) Due to the timing of the Olympics which will begin immediately after WBW, we know that there will be intense media hype surrounding the summer Olympics and rather than going against the tide and competing ....WBW should be riding on this. The fact that the Olympics will be occurring the following week we realized gave a sort of fortuitous "endorsement by association". For many WBW celebrants who are in resource poor settings, we hope that by riding the wave of the Olympics, they will be able to gain more publicity and mileage for their efforts.

2) Our theme should be read in total i.e. Mother Support : Going For the Gold hence we want to focus on the Mother Support aspect....WABA's Global Initiative for Mother Support for Breastfeeding (GIMS) defines "mother support" as "any support provided to mothers for the purpose of improving breastfeeding practices for both mother and infant and young child". Here's an excerpt from our calendar announcement which will be published soon ....."How did you support breastfeeding today? If you did anything to support a woman planning to breastfeed or a mother already breastfeeding her child, you deserve a GOLD MEDAL. "

Regards,

Julianna Lim Abdullah
International WBW Coordinator