A student ad campaign supporting pro-public-breastfeeding in Texas is causing quite the online stir with its provocative images of women nursing their babies in public toilet stalls. The campaign called “When Nature Calls” is the work of two University of North Texas graphic-art majors, Jonathan Wenske and Kris Haro, who decided to take on this controversial issue for an assignment that requires students to design a campaign for a social issue or product.
The ad campaign, aiming to protect the rights of nursing mothers, illustrates what it looks like when women don’t have the right to nurse in public and are forced to feed their children in dirty public bathroom stalls.
Here’s what the ad copy says, complete with a call to action: “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.”
While there was never any intention for the ads to run in public, they have gone somewhat viral after being featured on sites like the Huffington Post, Popsugar, and Cosmopolitan. The first image, posted on Facebook by blogger Mama Bean on May 3, has more than 12,800 likes and 8,000 shares, generating a lengthy stream of comments ranging from supportive to insulting.
What I like most about this campaign is that is touches an emotional chord – one that may make readers a bit uncomfortable. Whether you’re a breastfeeding advocate and the reality of this campaign makes you sad or you’re on the other side of the fence and breastfeeding in public makes you feel awkward, this ad campaign definitely makes you feel something. I believe that when advertising takes someone just a bit out of their comfort zone (especially for social awareness campaigns), the ads are most likely doing their job. This campaign is creating conversation and provoking thought. You can’t ask for more than that!
~ Tracey Jeffas, Account Supervisor, The S3 Agency
