Do Brelfies Help to Normalize Breastfeeding in Public: Lewd or Food?

ABSTRACT

Often, lack of support results in early termination of breastfeeding compromising infant health. Lactivists argue one way to normalize public breastfeeding is by posting brelfies on social network sites. An online experiment tested a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design. Participants (N = 296) were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions varying the valence of comments or the control where no user comments were present. Most participants posted supportive comments. Compared to participants who only viewed brelfies, those who read any type of comment posted by other users showed negative attributions and emotions to brelfies. A number of other variables were also measured. Identification with other social media users was associated with approval for posting brelfies and supporting mothers. Emotional arousal and cognitive appraisal may be two sources of stigma about comments for brelfies even though people recognize that breastfeeding is an important health issue.

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