“That's Not a Beer Bong, It's a Breast Pump!” Representations of Breastfeeding in Prime-Time Fictional Television

Abstract

Breastfeeding has been recognized as one of the key determinant in one's future health. Yet although most people are aware of the benefits, many women do not breastfeed their babies past the first few months. These low rates can be partially explained by negative cultural attitudes toward breastfeeding, which have been reinforced by media messages. This research explored representations of breastfeeding in entertainment media—an area that has been overlooked. A textual analysis was conducted on 53 fictional television breastfeeding representations, ranging in genre and audience, from Beavis and Butthead to Criminal Minds. Findings indicate that breastfeeding depictions are generally positive, but limited in scope to educated, older, Caucasian women breastfeeding newborns, with little discussion about how to overcome problems. Extended breastfeeding and nursing in public were conveyed as socially unacceptable, making other characters uncomfortable, often within the same storylines that sexualized breasts. While the frequency of representations in recent years was encouraging, the narrow definition of the “normal” nursing experience excluded many types of women and breastfeeding experiences. And, by failing to address breastfeeding challenges and conveying that extended breastfeeding or nursing in public is abnormal or obscene, these depictions reinforce myths about the ease of breastfeeding and may discourage women from breastfeeding past the newborn phase, and outside the privacy of their homes. These portrayals may help explain why breastfeeding has not been “normalized,” despite an international consensus that it is the best health choice for babies.

Notes

¹Karen, in The Office, played by Rashida Jones, has a multiethnic background. However, she does not appear in the show after she has her baby.

²In real life, the Ingalls family lost an infant son. However, most of this storyline was fictionalized for the show.

³In 2009, Michelle Duggar (the mother in 19 Kids and Counting, a reality show on The Learning Channel), breastfed her micro-preemie, Josie, until it was determined that Josie could not digest Michelle's breastmilk. An episode centered on the very ill Josie becoming much healthier after she is given formula.